Attentional Effects on Mood are Moderated by Chronic Self-Conception Valence

Positive and negative self-conception subjects rated their mood under either self-focused attention or other-focused attention conditions. Self-focused attention was partially induced by instructing subjects to write a story about themselves, whereas other-focused attention was partially elicited by instructing subjects to write a story about an acquaintance. Attentional effects on mood were moderated by the valence of subjects' chronic self-conceptions. Under self-focused attention conditions, positive self-conception subjects reported feeling happier than negative self-conception subjects. However, under other-focused attention conditions, positive and negative self-conception subjects did not differ in their reported mood. Supplementary analyses ruled out the possibility that the relation obtained between self-conception valence and mood was mediated by the valence of the stories that subjects wrote.