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15-03-2021 | Original Article

Emotional mental imagery generation during spontaneous future thinking: relationship with optimism and negative mood

Auteurs: Julie L. Ji, Fionnuala C. Murphy, Ben Grafton, Colin MacLeod, Emily A. Holmes

Gepubliceerd in: Psychological Research | Uitgave 2/2022

Abstract

Optimism is known to buffer against negative mood. Thus, understanding the factors that contribute to individual variation in optimism may inform interventions for mood disorders. Preliminary evidence suggests that the generation of mental imagery-based representations of positive relative to negative future scenarios is related to optimism. This study investigated the hypothesis that an elevated tendency to generate positive relative to negative mental imagery during spontaneous future thinking would be associated with reduced negative mood via its relationship to higher optimism. Participants (N = 44) with varied levels of naturally occurring negative mood reported current levels of optimism and the real-time occurrence and characteristics of spontaneous thoughts during a sustained attention computer task. Consistent with hypotheses, higher optimism statistically mediated the relationship between a higher proportional frequency of positive relative to negative mental imagery during spontaneous future thinking and lower negative mood. Further, the relationship between emotional mental imagery and optimism was found for future, but not past, thinking, nor for verbal future or past thinking. Thus, a greater tendency to generate positive rather than negative imagery-based mental representations when spontaneously thinking about the future may influence how optimistic one feels, which in turn may influence one’s experience of negative mood.

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Titel: Emotional mental imagery generation during spontaneous future thinking: relationship with optimism and negative mood
Auteurs: Julie L. Ji
Fionnuala C. Murphy
Ben Grafton
Colin MacLeod
Emily A. Holmes
Publicatiedatum: 15-03-2021
Uitgeverij: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Gepubliceerd in: Psychological Research / Uitgave 2/2022
Print ISSN: 0340-0727
Elektronisch ISSN: 1430-2772
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-021-01501-w

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