scholarly journals INTERVENTIONS IN SOCIAL NETWORKS: IMPACT ON MOOD AND NETWORK DYNAMICS

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (03n04) ◽  
pp. 1550016 ◽  
Author(s):  
DANICA VUKADINOVIĆ GREETHAM ◽  
ABHIJIT SENGUPTA ◽  
ROBERT HURLING ◽  
JOY WILKINSON

Results from two studies on longitudinal friendship networks are presented, exploring the impact of a gratitude intervention on positive and negative affect dynamics in a social network. The gratitude intervention had been previously shown to increase positive affect and decrease negative affect in an individual but dynamic group effects have not been considered. In the first study, the intervention was administered to the whole network. In the second study, two social networks are considered and in each only a subset of individuals, initially low/high in negative affect respectively received the intervention as "agents of change". Data was analyzed using stochastic actor-based modeling techniques to identify resulting network changes, impact on positive and negative affect and potential contagion of mood within the group. The first study found a group level increase in positive and a decrease in negative affect. Homophily was detected with regard to positive and negative affect but no evidence of contagion was found. The network itself became more volatile along with a fall in rate of change of negative affect. Centrality measures indicated that the best broadcasters were the individuals with the least negative affect levels at the beginning of the study. In the second study, the positive and negative affect levels for the whole group depended on the initial levels of negative affect of the intervention recipients. There was evidence of positive affect contagion in the group where intervention recipients had low initial level of negative affect and contagion in negative affect for the group where recipients had initially high level of negative affect.

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-92
Author(s):  
Elise M. Stevens ◽  
Karen McIntyre

The Onion is a satirical news site that has been growing in popularity over the last two decades. Based on theories in affect and social sharing, the current studies examined the impact of this online satirical news to understand its impact on affective states and online sharing. In Study 1, participants ( N = 147) either viewed a satirical or serious (frame) news story and then were asked about affective states and sharing behaviors. In Study 2, participants ( N = 143) viewed one of the two frames but on Instagram. In Study 1, results showed that serious news stories increased both positive and negative affect. Only positive affect mediated the relationship between frame and sharing. In Study 2, results showed that satirical Instagram posts were positively associated with negative affect, which mediated the relationship between frame and sharing. This study shows the important implications of online satirical news and illuminates how different platforms can affect audiences.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Parul Sharma

The positive affect means the different level of moods of an individual on subjective basis such as joy, interest and being alert. It refers to the condition where the individual have positive emotions and feelings involving physiological arousal, thinking process and behaviour. Positive affect also involving the interaction of an individual with the environment and its surroundings. The people shows the characteristics of being full of energy, active, are generally high on positive affect and characteristics like sad, lethargic, stress are examples of the negative affect. Empathy refers to the different kind of experiences. The researchers have defined empathy as ability of a person to feel other’s emotions including the feeling and thinking. Therefore it includes an experience that involves understanding others conditions or emotions from their perspective. Empathy increases the prosocial behaviour. The prosocial behaviour means actions which are positive in nature but does benefit others and it includes the moral values, sense of responsibility and does not have any personal gains from such behaviour. It is a kind of voluntary actions that benefits not only the individual itself but also the society as a whole. The aim of the current investigation was to study the impact of positive and negative affect on empathy and prosocial behaviour. For this study, Positive and negative affect scale (PANAS; Watson et al., 1988), Empathy scale (Levine et al., 2009), and Prosocial Tendencies Measure scale (Randall et al., 2003) were administered to the sample of 100 students in the age range of 18-21 years. The sample was taken from different colleges of Chandigarh. An inter-correlation matrix was calculated to see the relationship. The results have shown significant and positive relationship between positive affect, empathy and prosocial behavior. The correlation between positive and empathy is (r = 0.33) and positive affect and prosocial behavior is (r = 0.30). The significant and negative relationship is found between negative affect, empathy and prosocial behavior. The correlation between negative affect and empathy is(r = -0.29) and negative affect and prosocial behavior is (r = -0.27). The result is found to be significant at 0.01 levels.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daan A. Ornée ◽  
Albertine J. Oldehinkel ◽  
Jojanneke A. Bastiaansen

Background: Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), comprising repeated self-assessments in daily life, have shown promise as an intervention strategy for depression. Whether the content of such assessments influences affect has hardly received attention. The current study consists of two EMA intervention (EMI) modules, enabling us to compare the impact of EMI content on the course of momentary affect during the intervention. Methods: The intervention, implemented as add-on to regular depression treatment, consists of intensive self-monitoring (5x/day, 28 days) and weekly personalized feedback. Patients with depressive complaints (N = 110; Mage = 32.9, SD = 12.2; 44.5% male) were randomly assigned to one of two treatment modules focusing on activities and positive affect (“Do”) or on thoughts and negative affect (“Think”). Results: Linear mixed models showed no significant (p > .18) differences between the two modules on both positive and negative affect over time. Across modules positive affect showed an initial decreasing trend, leveling off towards the end of the intervention period. Negative affect did not change significantly over time (p > .06). Limitations: Both modules assessed positive and negative affect, enabling a direct comparison but potentially decreasing the impact of their differential focus. Conclusions: In our sample, the focus of the EMI was not associated with differential effects on momentary affect. This implies that a focus on thoughts and negative affect compared to positive affect and activities may not lead to added adverse effects on mood, which is an often-voiced concern when using EMA in both research and clinical practice.


Author(s):  
Saharsh Panchal ◽  
Fariburz Irani ◽  
Gunjan Y Trivedi

Introduction Scientific evidence has demonstrated the psychological and physiological benefits of meditation. Sound vibrations also improve emotional wellbeing while enhancing the physiological parameters. There is an opportunity to explore the psychological and physiological benefits of Himalayan Singing Bowls (HSB) sound bath meditation, i.e. meditation assisted with sound vibrations. Aim of the Study The study explored changes in mood and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) parameters after a HSB Sound Bath Meditation on healthy individuals. The primary objectives of the study were to understand if a 40 minute long seated HSB Sound Bath Meditation results in significant improvement (a) in positive affect and negative affect, as measured by Positive And Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) and (b) in physiological parameters, as measured by Heart Rate Variability. The secondary objective of the study was to understand the impact on various moods as measured by Profile Of Mood States (POMS) Survey. Methods The psychological parameters included changes in Positive and Negative Affect (measured on 77 individuals using PANAS) and changes in specific, positive and negative moods (measured on 17 individuals using POMS) before and after the meditation session. The physiological parameters included HRV parameters such as Heart Rate (HR), Stress Index (SI) and Root Mean Square of Standard Deviation (RMSSD) measuring during the entire session on 15 individuals using the EmWave Pro device. HRV data analysis was conducted with Kubios HRV Premium and all the data was analyzed using paired T-Test. Results All the subjects after meditation showed statistically significant improvement in Positive Affect (mood) and a reduction in Negative Affect (mood). The HRV parameters showed a trend demonstrating overall relaxation with a statistically significant reduction in HR, Stress Index and an increase in RMSSD in the last 5 minutes as compared to the first 5 minutes. Consistent with changes in positive, negative mood and HRV, all the participants showed statistically significant reduction in tension, anger, fatigue, depression and confusion. In terms of positive mood, there was a statistically significant improvement in esteem related affect and an increase (but not statistically significant) in vigor. Conclusion The findings demonstrate that seated HSB Sound Bath Meditation session has a positive impact on the mood related measures. The physiological changes measured during the meditation using HRV parameters indicated a consistent reduction in Heart Rate throughout the meditation and a reduction in overall sympathetic tone and an increase in parasympathetic tone. Thus, HSB can be used to improve both psychological and physiological parameters even after one 40 min session. Future work in this area could explore comparison with a control group and a longer study duration consisting of multiple sessions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Mogle ◽  
Elizabeth Muñoz ◽  
Nikki L Hill ◽  
Joshua M Smyth ◽  
Martin J Sliwinski

Abstract Objective The current analyses examined the impact of daily memory lapses on daily affect and whether this impact varied across age. Method One hundred sixty-six adults (ages 20–79) completed assessments of memory lapses and affect each day for 7 consecutive days. Assessments included retrospective and prospective memory lapses as well as the impact of these lapses (how irritating, interfering, and consequential). Affect was assessed using ratings of daily positive and negative affect. Results Participants reported memory lapses on 33.3% of days. Prospective lapses were consistently rated as more consequential. Regardless of age, participants had significantly lower in positive affect and significantly higher in negative affect on days with a prospective lapse. Effects of retrospective lapses depended on age: compared to older adults, younger adults reported lower positive affect on days with a retrospective lapse. Discussion Previous work on daily memory lapses has focused on prospective lapses. Although retrospective lapses occurred more frequently in this sample, prospective lapses appeared to have a greater impact on daily experiences regardless of age. By measuring daily memory lapses and affect over consecutive days, we can begin to understand how the experience of forgetting impacts individuals at a micro-level.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daan Alexander Ornée ◽  
Jojanneke A. Bastiaansen ◽  
Albertine Oldehinkel

Ecological Momentary Interventions (EMI), comprising repeated self-assessments in daily life, have shown promise as intervention strategy for depression. Whether the content of such assessments influences affect has hardly received attention. The ZELF-i study consists of two EMA intervention (EMI) modules, enabling us to compare the impact of EMI content on the course of momentary affect during the intervention. Methods: ZELF-i is an add-on to depression treatment comprising intensive self-monitoring (5x/day, 28 days) and weekly personalized feedback. Patients with depressive complaints (N = 110; Mean age = 32.9, SD = 12.2; 44.5% male) were randomly assigned to one of two treatment modules focusing on activities and positive affect (“Do”) or on thoughts and negative affect (“Think”). Linear mixed models showed no significant (p > .18) differences between the two modules on both positive and negative affect over time. Across modules positive affect showed an initial decreasing trend, leveling off towards the end of the intervention period. Negative affect did not change significantly over time (p > .06). In our sample, the focus of the EMI did not impact momentary affect beyond any general effect of systematic self-monitoring. This means that a focus on negative affect instead of more general self-monitoring may not lead to added adverse effects on mood, which is an often voiced concern when using EMA in both research and clinical practice.Keywords: Depression, Ecological Momentary Assessment, Affect, Measurement Reactivity, Emotions, Pragmatic Clinical Trial


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 296
Author(s):  
Imke Matthys ◽  
Justine Defreyne ◽  
Els Elaut ◽  
Alessandra Daphne Fisher ◽  
Baudewijntje P. C. Kreukels ◽  
...  

Improving transgender people’s quality of life (QoL) is the most important goal of gender-affirming care. Prospective changes in affect can influence QoL. We aim to assess the impact of initiating gender-affirming hormonal treatment (HT) on affect. In the European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence (ENIGI) study, we prospectively collected data of 873 participants (451 transwomen (TW) and 422 transmen (TM)). At baseline, psychological questionnaires including the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) were administered. The PANAS, levels of sex steroids and physical changes were registered at each follow-up visit during a 3-year follow-up period, starting at the initiation of hormonal therapy. Data were analyzed cross-sectionally and prospectively. Over the first three months, we observed a decline in positive affect (PA) in both TM and TW. Thereafter, PA reached a steady state in TW, whereas in TM there was also a second decline at 18 months. In both TM and TW there was no persisting difference comparing baseline to the 36-months results. Concerning negative affect (NA), we observed a decline during the first year in TM, which sustained during the second year and was not different anymore at 36 months compared to baseline. In TW though, we did not find any change of NA during the entire follow-up. Even if some of these results show significant differences, they should be considered with caution, since there was no control group and the absolute differences are small. No association between affect and the level of sex steroids was observed. Baseline QoL and psychological burden are related to affect independently from gender but are not necessarily good predictors of the evolution of one’s affect during the gender-affirming process. Further research is necessary to investigate these preliminary results.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 480-481
Author(s):  
Eva Kahana ◽  
Tirth Bhatta ◽  
Boaz Kahana ◽  
Nirmala Lekhak

Abstract Existing scholarship in social gerontology has surprisingly paid little attention to broader loving emotions, such as compassionate and altruistic love, as potentially meaningful mechanisms for improving later life psychological well-being. This study examined the influence of feeling love toward other persons and experiencing love from others on later life psychological well-being. We conducted a 3-wave longitudinal study of a representative sample of 340 ethnically heterogeneous community dwelling older residents of Miami, Florida. The increase in feeling of being loved (β=-1.53, p<0.001) and love for others (β=-1.43, p<0.001) led to decline in odds of reporting greater level of depressive symptoms over time. The odds of reporting higher level of positive affect were significantly greater for older adults who reported feeling loved by others (β=1.16, p<0.001) and expressed love for other people (β=1.18, p<0.01). Older adults who felt loved had 0.92-point lower ordered log odds of reporting higher negative affect than those who reported lower level of love. The impact of compassionate love on depressive symptoms and negative affect remained statistically significant even after adjustment for altruistic attitudes and emotional support. The influence of loving emotions on positive affect was, however, explained by altruistic attitudes and emotional support. Our findings underscore the powerful influence of both receiving and giving love for the maintenance of later life psychological well-being. We offer support for the expectation that love is a significant force in the lives of older adults that transcends intimate relationships.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 287-287
Author(s):  
Deepan Guharajan ◽  
Roee Holtzer

Abstract Aging populations are at increased risk to experience mobility disability, which is associated with falls, frailty, and mortality. Previous studies have not examined the concurrent associations of both positive and negative affect with gait velocity. We examined whether individual differences in positive and negative affect predicted dual-task performance decrements in velocity in a dual-task (DT) paradigm in non-demented older adults. We hypothesize that positive affect would be associated with lower DT costs, and negative affect would be associated with higher DT costs. Participants (N = 403; mean age, = 76.22 (6.55); females = 56%) completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and a DT paradigm that involved three task conditions: Single-Task-Walk (STW), Alpha (cognitive interference requiring participants to recite alternate letters of the alphabet), and Dual-Task-Walk (DTW) requiring participant to perform the two single tasks concurrently. Gait velocity was assessed via an instrumented walkway. As expected, results of a linear mixed effects model (LME) showed a significant decline in gait velocity (cm/s) from STW to DTW (estimate = -11.79; 95%CI = -12.82 to -10.77). LME results further revealed that negative affect was associated with greater decline in gait velocity from STW to DTW (ie., worse DT cost) (estimate = -0.38; 95%CI = -0.73 to -0.03). Positive affect did not, however, predict DT costs in gait velocity (estimate = -0.09; 95%CI = -0.23 to 0.05). These findings suggest that increased negative affect interferes with the allocation of attentional resources to competing task demands inherent in the DT paradigm.


2021 ◽  
pp. 135910532110499
Author(s):  
Jingxin Zhao ◽  
Jing Ge ◽  
Qianyu Li

This study examined the roles of grandparent-child cohesion and friendship quality in left-behind children’s positive and negative affect compared with non-left-behind children. Data from 557 participants indicated that grandparent-child cohesion and friendship quality predicted children’s emotional adaptation. Friend trust and support and intimate exchange had a stronger predictive effect on positive affect among non-left-behind children. Moreover, the interaction effects between grandparent-child cohesion and friendship quality on children’s positive affect supported the reinforcement model, while the interaction effects on negative affect supported the reinforcement model among left-behind children but supported the compensation model among non-left-behind children.


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