Author(s)

Weiting Ng

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The effects of mood on cognition are well-documented. However, would mood influence subsequent emotional reactions? The present research shows that prior moods interact with neuroticism to influence subsequent emotional experiences. Low-neuroticism individuals who initially felt negative subsequently experienced less negative emotions toward a slightly unpleasant task, relative to those who initially felt positive. Conversely, there were no mood effects on high-neuroticism individuals. This demonstrates that surprisingly, a prior negative, rather than positive, mood buffers low- but not high-neuroticism individuals from the effect of a subsequent unpleasant event on negative emotions. The possible mechanism underlying this effect—negative mood repair—is also discussed.

Neuroticism, Mood Effects, Buffering Effects, Negative Emotions, Mood Repair

Ng, W. (2011). Prior Negative Mood Buffers Some Individuals from Subsequent Negative Events: The Moderating Role of Neuroticism. Psychology, 2, 445-449. doi: 10.4236/psych.2011.25069.