Ready for the worst? Negative affect in anticipation of a stressor does not protect against affective reactivity
Introduction Lay wisdom suggests feeling negative while awaiting an upcoming stressor—anticipatory negative affect—shields against the blow of the subsequent stressor. However, evidence is mixed, with different lines of research and theory indirectly suggesting that anticipatory negative affect is h...
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Published in | Journal of personality Vol. 91; no. 5; pp. 1123 - 1139 |
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Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Durham
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
01.10.2023
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Introduction
Lay wisdom suggests feeling negative while awaiting an upcoming stressor—anticipatory negative affect—shields against the blow of the subsequent stressor. However, evidence is mixed, with different lines of research and theory indirectly suggesting that anticipatory negative affect is helpful, harmful, or has no effect on emotional outcomes. In two studies, we aimed to reconcile these competing views by examining the affective trajectory across hours, days, and months, separating affective reactivity and recovery.
Methods
In Study 1, first‐year students (N = 101) completed 9 days of experience sampling (10 surveys/day) as they received their first‐semester exam grades, and a follow‐up survey 5 months later. In Study 2, participants (N = 73) completed 2 days of experience sampling (60 surveys/day) before and after a Trier Social Stress Test. We investigated the association between anticipatory negative affect and the subsequent affective trajectory, investigating (1) reactivity immediately after the stressor, (2) recovery across hours (Study 2) and days (Study 1), and (3) recovery after 5 months (Study 1).
Results
Across the two studies, feeling more negative in anticipation of a stressor was either associated with increased negative affective reactivity, or unassociated with affective outcomes.
Conclusion
These results run counter to the idea that being affectively ready for the worst has psychological benefits, suggesting that instead, anticipatory negative affect can come with affective costs. |
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Bibliography: | This research was not formally preregistered. ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0022-3506 1467-6494 |
DOI: | 10.1111/jopy.12787 |