Mood and Variability

A report on research designed to test the hypothesis that positive mood increases spontaneous (baseline) variability and negative mood decreases spontaneous variability. It was further hypothesized that trained (reinforced) levels of variability would not differ across different moods. Participants played a computer game designed to assess spontaneous levels of variability and then to train participants to be variable. While the participants played the game, they were shown a series of positive, negative or neutral facts designed to induce these respective moods. Mood measures indicated that the negative mood induction was a success, though the positive mood induction was a failure. No effect of mood on either spontaneous or trained levels of variability was detectable according to an established measure of variability, the U-value. A second method for measuring variability, analysis of switch rates, indicated that those in the negative mood were less variable than those inthe neutral mood. Possible reasons why this occurred are explored. Implications of this finding are discussed and suggestions for future research presented.