The Role of Positive Affect in Enhancing Extinction Learning and Exposure Therapy for Anxiety Disorders

Although exposure is a valid treatment for anxiety disorders, efforts are being made to improve its overall effectiveness. The present article discusses one potential method of optimizing extinction learning and exposure therapy: increasing positive affect. The effect of positive affect on learning is discussed in regards to various components of learning, including attention, encoding, rehearsal, consolidation, retrieval, and stimulus valence. These effects are then discussed specifically with extinction learning and exposure therapy. The authors conclude that increasing positive affect during exposures may enhance exposure therapy via various these learning mechanisms but that this awaits further testing.