Mood as a determinant of attentional focus

Abstract

Three experiments examined the effects of mood on self-focused versus external-focused attention. The results demonstrated that sad mood (compared to neutral and happy mood) tends to induce self-focused attention, whereas happy mood (compared to sad mood) tends to elicit external-focused attention. The effects of mood on attention were independent of the self-focusing nature of the mood-inducing event. A model is proposed to account for the relation between mood and self-focused attention. According to the model, sad mood produces momentary negative self-evaluation, which in turn creates uncertainty about one's self-worth. This instigates self-perception processes that result in heightened self-focused attention. In contrast, happy mood leads to certainty about one's self-worth, which allows an extroverted orientation.