Recalling and anticipating positive events to improve the positive affect and mental health of adolescents: A cluster randomized controlled trial in secondary schools.

This cluster randomized controlled trial examined the effectiveness of Positive Events Training (PET), a combined group training aimed at simultaneously improving positive autobiographical memory (AM) and episodic future thinking (EFT) among adolescents (12-16 years). Delivered as a universal school-based program, PET was compared with an active (creative writing) control group (CREAT). Effects on resilience, wellbeing, positive emotions, emotional response styles towards positive emotions (savoring, dampening), anhedonia, depressive symptoms, and multiple AM and EFT indices were examined. Adolescents (NPET = 95, NCREAT = 93) completed self-report scales at baseline, post-training and two-month follow-up. Multilevel models revealed that PET led to significant improvements in certain AM and EFT skills. Moreover, a decrease in anhedonia was observed at post-training. However, this effect did not withstand correction for multiple testing. Absence of changes in the other outcomes should be interpreted within the context of the universal school-based approach and the potential limited scope for detectable changes. Exploratory analyses suggest the importance of further investigating PET's potential in addressing positive affect dysregulations in indicated samples, and exploring perceived likelihood of generated future events and dampening as potential underlying mechanisms. Study limitations and future directions to maximize the demonstrated potential of PET are discussed.

The bright side of sports: a systematic review on well-being, positive emotions and performance.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review regarding the relationship between positive psychological factors, such as psychological well-being and pleasant emotions, and sports performance. METHOD: This study, carried out through a systematic review using PRISMA guidelines considering the Web of Science, PsycINFO, PubMed and SPORT Discus databases, seeks to highlight the relationship between other more 'positive' factors, such as well-being, positive emotions and sports performance. SETTINGS: The keywords will be decided by a Delphi Method in two rounds with sport psychology experts. PARTICIPANTS: There are no participants in the present research. ASSESSMENT: The main exclusion criteria were: Non-sport thema, sample younger or older than 20-65 years old, qualitative or other methodology studies, COVID-related, journals not exclusively about Psychology. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: We obtained a first sample of 238 papers, and finally, this sample was reduced to the final sample of 11 papers. RESULTS: The results obtained are intended to be a representation of the 'bright side' of sports practice, and as a complement or mediator of the negative variables that have an impact on athletes' and coaches' performance. CONCLUSIONS: Clear recognition that acting on intrinsic motivation continues to be the best and most effective way to motivate oneself to obtain the highest levels of performance, a good perception of competence and a source of personal satisfaction.

Exploring the Psychological Impact of Quarantine: An Investigation into Eating Patterns, Emotions, and Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Greece.

PURPOSE: The implementation of quarantine measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges linked to adverse psychological effects, notably affecting individuals' eating patterns. This study aimed to investigate the eating patterns of individuals during lockdowns compared across sex, age, and income levels, and examine the influence of positive and negative emotions, as well as loneliness, on these patterns. METHODS: A cross-sectional online study was conducted with 450 participants (aged 18-74 years old). One questionnaire about demographics, the Demographic Questionnaire, and three validated self-report scales (Eating Attitudes Test, comprising the Dieting, Bulimia, and Food Preoccupation, and Oral Control subscales, the Modified Differential Emotions Scale, and the UCLA Loneliness Scale) were employed. Convenience and snowball sampling were used. The data were collected between April and May 2021, primarily through social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The survey questionnaire was shared via these platforms and users could answer if they wanted. Also, they were asked to send the questionnaire to their close contacts. Additionally, the survey questionnaire was distributed face-to-face to 80 participants. The statistical analyses included linear regression and mediation analyses. RESULTS:  Abnormal eating patterns (e.g. eating behaviors that tend to have signs of diet such as constant avoidance of fattening foods, the individual's involvement with becoming leaner, extreme control or preoccupation with food, overeating and purging methods) were identified in 25% of the 450 participants participated in this survey, aged 18-74 years. Moderate levels of negative/positive emotions and loneliness were predominantly reported. Female sex was significantly associated with abnormal eating patterns (p=0.010), particularly dietary behaviors (p=0.029). Negative emotions (p=0.032) and loneliness (p=0.001) emerged as predictive factors for overall eating patterns and bulimic behaviors. Negative emotions exhibited a direct correlation with eating patterns, while loneliness played a significant mediating role (p=0.032). Furthermore, the association between negative emotions and bulimia was partially mediated by loneliness (p=0.018). CONCLUSIONS: This study underscores the pivotal roles of negative emotions and loneliness in shaping eating patterns during quarantine. Multilevel public health interventions are needed to address the negative effects of quarantine and pandemics in general. Screening tests for mental health in the school and job environments could highlight the need for shaping interventions, such as counseling, group empowerment, and family support in order to mitigate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on eating behaviors and mental health in general.

Reciprocal relationships between positive expectancies and positive emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-lagged panel study.

INTRODUCTION: Previous research highlighted the importance of investigating distinct protective factors that predict the experience of positive emotions during stressful situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In this longitudinal study, we specifically focused on positive expectancies towards the future (optimism, response expectancy, and response hope) in relation to the experience of positive emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our primary objectives were to identify the best predictors for experiencing short-term and long-term positive emotions and investigate their interrelationships. METHODS: Data from 271 participants (average age = 29.2 years, 84.7% female) were analyzed using four cross-lagged models. RESULTS: Results showed that response expectancy was the best predictor for experiencing positive emotions in the short term, while optimism was the best predictor for experiencing positive emotions in the long term. Additionally, through further exploratory analysis, multiple bidirectional relationships were identified between positive expectancies and positive emotions. DISCUSSION: Our results highlight the significant role played by positive expectancies in predicting the experience of positive emotions. Specifically, dispositional optimism emerged as a stronger predictor of longer-term positive emotions, whereas response expectancy proved to be a better predictor of shorter-term positive emotions. Thus, interventions targeting positive expectancies have the potential to enhance emotional functioning in individuals during challenging situations like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Response expectancy positively predicts positive emotions in the short term.Optimism positively predicts positive emotions in the long term.Response expectancy positively predicts optimism in the short and long term.Response expectancy positively predicts response hope in the short term.Response hope negatively predicts optimism in the short and long term.Positive emotions positively predict positive expectancies (response expectancy, response hope, and optimism) on short term.The discrepancy score negatively predicts positive emotions in the short term.The discrepancy score negatively predicts optimism in the short and long term.

Associations between challenging parenting behavior and creative tendencies of children: the chain mediating roles of positive emotion and creative self-efficacy.

Background: Parenting behavior has been reported to be closely associated with children's creativity, yet the association between challenging parenting behavior and children's creative tendencies, as well as the potential mechanisms connecting the two, remains ambiguous. Based on the Social Cognitive Theory and the Self-efficacy Theory, this study aims to examine the correlation between Chinese parents' challenging parenting behaviors and their children's creative tendencies, as well as the chain mediating role of children's positive emotions and creative self-efficacy. Methods: In total, 2,647 families were surveyed with questionnaires completed by parents on the Challenging Parenting Behaviors Scale and by children on the Positive/Negative Emotions Scale, the Creative Self-efficacy Scale, and the Williams Creative Tendency Test Scale, and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) in SPSS 22.0 and Mplus 8.3. Results: The findings indicate that challenging parenting behavior has a positive correlation with children's positive emotions, creative self-efficacy, and creative tendencies. Through positive emotions, creative self-efficacy, and a chain mediated pathway between these two variables, challenging parenting behaviors increase children's creative tendencies. Conclusion: The favorable impacts of challenging parenting behaviors on children's creative tendencies, with the mediating effects of children's positive emotions and creative self-efficacy, may help Chinese parents better grasp the mechanisms underlying this association.

Effects of positive psychological interventions on positive and negative emotions in depressed individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Positive psychological interventions (PPIs) are known to be effective in alleviating depression. However, the effect of PPIs on positive and negative emotions in depressed participants is not unclear. AIMS: To systematically investigate the effects of PPIs on positive and negative emotions in depressed individuals. METHODS: 6 databases were searched for randomized controlled trials of PPIs in individuals with depressive disorders or depressive symptoms. Hedges' g value was computed using a random-effects model to determine effect sizes. RESULTS: 14 trials from 13 studies were included. Our meta-analysis showed that PPIs had significant but small effects on improving positive affect (g = 0.33, p = .02), life satisfaction (g = 0.26, p = .03), happiness (g = 0.62, p = .03) and depression (g = -0.32, p = .001), and negligible effects on improving well-being (g = 0.13, p = .24) and negative affect (g = -0.15, p = .31). Subgroup analyses of depression showed that PPIs have experienced benefits in improving depression in most subgroups. In addition, none of the subgroup analyses performed for outcomes other than depression found PPIs to be more effective than controls. CONCLUSION: PPIs can improve positive affect, life satisfaction, happiness and depression in depressed individuals, but further studies are needed to validate their effects on well-being, and negative affect.

Corrigendum: Tree-shrub-grass composite woodland better facilitates emotional recovery in college students emotion better than other plant communities.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1285792.].

Grit and Second Language Learning Engagement: The Mediating Role of Affect Balance.

The study of the relationship between key psychological attributes of learners and their engagement in second language (L2) learning helps to understand the critical personality mechanisms influencing language learning. The present study examined the L2 learning engagement from the perspectives of grit (i.e., consistent efforts and interests devoted to a long-term goal) and affect balance (a notion that takes into account both positive and negative emotions concurrently, assessing and evaluating which side holds more significance or influence). A cohort of English L2 learners (N = 394) participated in an online survey aimed at gauging their levels of grit, affect balance, and engagement in L2 learning. The results indicated that grit and affect balance were significantly correlated with behavioral engagement and affective engagement in L2 learning. However, among the two components of grit, namely consistency of interest, showed no significant relationship with L2 learning engagement, while perseverance of effort was significantly positively correlated with L2 learning engagement. Affect balance played a partially mediating and full mediating role between perseverance of effort and behavioral engagement as well as affective engagement respectively. These findings confirm the crucial role of perseverance of effort in second language learning and reveal the unique role of affect balance in their relationship.

The Impacts of Background Music on the Effects of Loving-Kindness Meditation on Positive Emotions.

Loving-kindness meditation (LKM) has been widely used in promoting mental health, with positive emotions as an important mechanism. The current study explored the impact of background music on the effects and difficulties of LKM practice. Two hundred participants were randomly divided into six groups, wherein LKM plus music with harmony only, LKM plus music with harmony and melody, and LKM without music were presented in a different order during the intermediate three days of a five-day LKM intervention. Participants reported three types of positive emotions (pro-social, low-arousal, and medium-arousal positive emotions) and the difficulties during meditation (lack of concentration and lack of pro-social attitudes) after each of three sessions. The results of MANOVA indicated that compared to the session without music, incorporating music could evoke more low-arousal positive emotions and pro-social positive emotions without altering the difficulties. However, the results did not reveal significant differences in the effects of music with harmony and music with harmony and melody on both emotions and difficulties. Additionally, practice effects may have influenced the generation of medium-arousal positive emotions and the difficulty of concentration, but the results were inconsistent across groups. Our findings suggest potential benefits for practitioners of LKM in incorporating music during the meditation process, and the directions for future research were further discussed.

The CARE System in Its Importance in Dealing with Today's Crises1.

The CARE system is a gift from Mother Nature, we have it in our biological heritage; it enables us humans-as a basic gift-to help each other in a large, life-serving context, and thus also to counterbalance destruction. It is about a basic human ability, linked to typical behaviour, but also about a basic human need for connectedness. In this paper, I would like to show how the CARE system can be activated as a collective attitude. The CARE system is strengthened by positive emotions. We are currently being affected by many crises and this triggers fear. How can we deal with this better? Fear is countered with hope and the associated positive emotions such as joy, awe, kama muta and others. These emotions and feelings can be consciously encouraged and placed alongside the feelings of fear. But also, when we share the feelings of grief with each other, it triggers an attitude of CARE. We can grieve together for the various experiences of loss that we go through-but we can also imagine together how we envisage a future that is worth living for everyone. An attitude in the sense of CARING has been practised in friendship for thousands of years. It would therefore be possible to move away from an attitude of competing and outdoing, to an attitude not only of recognition, care, and solidarity in human interaction, but also in our connection with nature.

Le système CARE (prendre soin) est un cadeau de Mère Nature, nous l'avons dans notre patrimoine biologique ; il nous permet, à nous les humains, en tant que don fondamental, de nous entraider dans un contexte vaste et vital et donc aussi de faire contrepoids à la destruction. Il s'agit d'une capacité humaine fondamentale, liée à un comportement typique, mais aussi du besoin humain fondamental d'être en lien. Dans cet article, j'aimerais montrer comment le système CARE peut être activé en tant qu'attitude collective. Le système CARE est renforcé par des émotions positives. Nous sommes actuellement touchés par de nombreuses crises, ce qui suscite la peur. Comment pouvons­nous mieux gérer cette situation ? La peur est contrée par l'espoir et les émotions positives qui y sont associées telles que la joie, la crainte, kama muta et autres. Ces émotions et ces sentiments peuvent être consciemment encouragés et placés à côté des sentiments de peur. Mais aussi, lorsque nous partageons les sentiments d'affliction les uns avec les autres, cela déclenche une attitude de BIENVEILLANCE. Nous pouvons faire ensemble le deuil dans diverses expériences de perte que nous traversons, mais nous pouvons aussi imaginer ensemble comment nous envisageons un avenir qui vaut la peine d'être vécu pour tous. Une attitude cultivant la BIENVEILLANCE est pratiquée dans l'amitié depuis des milliers d'années. Il serait donc possible de passer d'une attitude de compétition, et qui vise à supplanter, à une attitude non seulement de reconnaissance, d'attention et de solidarité dans l'interaction humaine, mais aussi dans notre relation avec la nature.

El sistema DE CUIDADO es un regalo de la Madre Naturaleza, lo tenemos en nuestra herencia biológica; nos permite a los humanos ­como regalo básico­ ayudarnos unos a otros en un contexto amplio, al servicio de la vida, y así también contrarrestar la destrucción. Se trata de una capacidad humana básica, vinculada al comportamiento típico, pero también de una necesidad humana básica de conexión. En este artículo, me gustaría mostrar cómo el sistema DE CUIDADO puede activarse como una actitud colectiva. El sistema DE CUIDADO se fortalece a través de emociones positivas. Actualmente nos vemos afectados por muchas crisis, y esto desencadena el miedo. ¿Cómo podemos afrontarlo mejor? El miedo se contrarresta con la esperanza y las emociones positivas asociadas, como la alegría, el asombro, el kama muta y otras. Estas emociones y sentimientos pueden fomentarse conscientemente y ocupar un lugar junto al miedo. Pero también, cuando compartimos los sentimientos de dolor con otros, se desencadena una actitud de CUIDADO. Podemos sentir juntos el dolor por las diversas experiencias de pérdida por las que pasamos, pero también podemos imaginar juntos un futuro que merezca la pena vivir para todos. Una actitud en el sentido de CUIDAR se practica en la amistad desde hace miles de años. Por lo tanto, sería posible pasar de una actitud de competencia y superación a una actitud no sólo de reconocimiento, cuidado y solidaridad en la interacción humana, sino también en nuestra conexión con la naturaleza.

The relationship between self-control and learning engagement among Chinese college students: the chain mediating roles of resilience and positive emotions.

Background: As the main driver of talent cultivation in colleges and universities, the learning and development level of college students is a core indicator of the quality of talent cultivation. The current status of college students' learning has always been a heavily researched topic. However, there is a lack of academic research on the potential mechanisms of self-control about how it affects college students' learning engagement. This study explored the relationship between college students' self-control and learning engagement and the potential mechanisms underlying this relationship with reference to a large sample. Methods: A total of 765 college students from Guangxi, China, completed the self-control scale, the resilience scale, the positive emotions scale, and the learning engagement scale. SPSS 26.0 was used to conduct common method bias tests, descriptive statistics, correlation tests, and regression analyses. Structural equation modeling was constructed using AMOS 26.0, and mediation effects were tested. Results: This article mainly used questionnaires to collect data and, on this basis, examined the relationship between self-control, resilience, positive emotions, and the learning engagement of college students. The results showed that (1) self-control positively affected college students' learning engagement; (2) resilience partially mediated the relationship between self-control and college students' learning engagement; (3) positive emotions partially mediated the relationship between self-control and college students' learning engagement; and (4) resilience and positive emotions played a chain-mediating role between self-control and college students' learning engagement. Conclusion: The present study identifies the potential mechanism underlying the association between the self-control and learning engagement of college students. The results of this study have practical implications for enhancing the learning engagement of Chinese college students by increasing their psychological resources and improving the teaching of university teachers.

The neuroscience of human empathy for pleasure: protocol for a scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: The neuroscience of human empathy for pleasure and positive affect is an emergent, scarcely addressed topic. The main aim of this scoping review is to map the impact of this new research domain on the field of social and affective neuroscience. INTRODUCTION: Most of the literature on empathy and affect sharing has hitherto focused on negative emotions, with a special focus on pain. However, understanding, sharing, and reacting to others' pleasures is an evolutionarily and socially important function. Our scoping review addresses this gap in the literature and tries to unify the available information under the empathy for pleasure umbrella. INCLUSION CRITERIA: This scoping review is intended to cover studies on empathy for positive emotions, pleasant sensory outcomes, and other rewards in healthy individuals and neurological/neuropsychiatric/neurodevelopmental disorders populations. METHODS: We will perform a systematic search in the Medline (PubMed), Scopus, and Web of Science (WoS) databases. Two authors will independently screen all titles, abstracts, and then full-text articles that meet the inclusion criteria. The year range of interest will be 2000-2022, and only journal articles published in English will be assessed. Data will be extracted and presented in tables and/or graphical representations to synthesize and describe the results. The extracted data will be reported in a comprehensive summary. RESULTS: The final manuscript is intended for submission to an indexed journal in late 2023/beginning 2024. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, the present scoping review will be the first to address the variety and heterogeneity of available evidence on human empathy for pleasure. We ultimately aim at perusing the growing literature on this far-reaching field of study and informing future research. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: The neuroscience of human empathy for pleasure: Protocol for a scoping review.  https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/W7H6J . (December 27, 2022).

The relationship between expressive suppression, therapeutic bond, and treatment outcomes of a positive affect intervention for adults with anxiety and/or depression.

Expressive suppression (ES; reducing emotional expression) is linked with reduced social connectedness in individuals with anxiety or depression. One implication is that people who use ES may have difficulty establishing a bond with their therapist which may impede clinical improvement. We examined this hypothesis in 33 adults with clinically elevated anxiety or depression receiving treatment focused on enhancing positive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. At baseline, participants rated ES for positive and negative emotions during a standardized conversation task designed to generate connectedness. They also rated measures of early (session 3) perceived therapeutic bond and treatment outcomes (i.e. positive affect and social connectedness). ES of positive (r = -.39, p = .018), but not negative (r = .06, p = .747), emotions was negatively associated with therapeutic bond. Therapeutic bond mediated the relationship between greater ES of positive emotions during affiliation and lower post-treatment positive affect, 95% bias-corrected bootstrap confidence interval [-0.021, -0.000], adjusted for pre-treatment positive affect, as well as lower post-treatment social connectedness [-0.397, -0.015]; however, the indirect effect was not significant when accounting for pre-treatment social connectedness (p > .05). ES of positive emotions may be an important factor in the development of therapeutic bond and therefore treatment outcomes for individuals with anxiety or depression.

Tree-shrub-grass composite woodland better facilitates emotional recovery in college students emotion better than other plant communities.

Previous research has indicated that natural landscapes exhibit a greater capacity for ameliorating negative emotional states in individuals when compared to urban landscapes. Nevertheless, significant scientific inquiries, such as the uniformity of the rejuvenating effect across distinct categories of natural landscapes on college students and the choice of the optimal plant community for achieving the most potent restorative effect, remain unexplored. This study aimed to address these questions by selecting four plant communities (single-layer grassland, single-layer woodland, tree-grass composite woodland, tree-shrub-grass composite woodland) and using an electroencephalography method to capture the neuroelectric activity of the participants in combination with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule score to explore the effects of plant community types on emotional recovery. The results showed that all four plant communities significantly increased positive emotions and significantly reduced negative emotions. There was no significant difference in the recovery effect of positive emotions among the four plant community types, but there was a significant difference in the recovery effect of negative emotions. The effect of tree-shrub-grass composite woodland on the negative emotion recovery effect is the best; the EEG results found that the alpha wave amplitude induced by the tree-shrub-grass composite woodland was significantly higher than that of the other three groups of plant communities, and the EEG and behavioral results were consistent. The results show that the tree-shrub-grass composite woodland has the best restoration effect and has stronger planning and design significance.

Are my wife's recovery activities related to my subsequent recovery activities at work?

We proposed a model where a male employee's wife's engagement in recovery activities results in the husband's own enactment of recovery activities while in the workplace, via emotional contagion, based on the COR theory and broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. We expected wives may experience positive emotions after engaging in social interactions, which has a contagion effect on husbands' positive emotions. Further, husbands were expected to leverage their positive emotions to engage in future recovery activities (better lunch nap and meal quality while at work). Lastly, we examined whether power imbalance in the married couple has a moderating effect on emotional contagion processes. To test our model, we used an experience-sampling method in which 110 dyads completed daily diary questionnaires for 8 consecutive days (N = 768, after removing 112 invalid observations). As expected, wives' social interactions are linked to husbands' positive emotions via wives' positive emotions. Further, husbands' positive emotions predict the quality of two workplace recovery activities (lunch naps and meals). Finally, power imbalance moderates the association between wives' (donors) emotions and husbands' (recipients) emotions such that the crossover of emotions is stronger when wives (donors) have relatively more power than when they have less.

Positive emotions, self-regulatory capacity, and EFL performance in the Chinese senior high school context.

Previous research on English as a foreign language (EFL) learning has predominantly focused on negative emotions such as anxiety and boredom, neglecting positive emotions. Self-regulation, a cognitive factor, has emerged as a key construct of positive psychology in recent years. However, few studies have examined the mechanisms by which positive emotions influence EFL performance, especially through cognitive factors. Given the high-stakes nature of Chinese college entrance examination and Chinese culture's value on effort, Chinese senior high school students may experience distinct EFL emotions. Therefore, this study, based on the control-value theory (CVT), explored the potential mediating role of self-regulatory capacity (boredom, awareness, goal, and emotion controls) in the relationship between the three focal positive emotions (enjoyment, hope, and pride) and EFL performance among Chinese senior high school students. A paper-and-pencil questionnaire survey was administered to 330 Chinese third-year senior high school students (male: n = 159; female: n = 171). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and mediation analysis with SPSS 26 and PROCESS V3.3. The results indicated that the students reported low levels of enjoyment and pride, moderate levels of hope, low levels of awareness, goal, and emotion controls, and moderate levels of boredom control. The results also revealed significant and large associations among the three positive emotions, the four components of self-regulatory capacity, and EFL performance. Furthermore, the results suggested that self-regulatory capacity partially mediated the effect of positive emotions on EFL performance, supporting the CVT framework. The study concluded with implications for educators and suggestions for future research.

Tuning in to recovery: influence of music on emotional well-being during mealtime in inpatient facilities for eating disorders.

BACKGROUND: In rehabilitating eating disorders (ED), mealtimes are critical but often induce stress, both for restrictive and binge-purge disorders. Although preliminary data indicate a positive effect of music during mealtime, few studies employ an experimental approach. This study examines the influence of background music during mealtime in an inpatient ward setting, offering a real-world perspective. METHODS: Fifty-one women diagnosed with ED participated in this within-subjects study. Over two weeks, during lunch and dinner, they were exposed to three randomized music conditions: no music, focus piano music, and pop music. The self-report questionnaires captured affective states, noise levels, and hunger, while trained dietitians recorded food consumption and eating rituals. RESULTS: The absence of music led to an increase in uneaten food (p = 0.001) and the presence of eating rituals (p = 0.012) during mealtimes. Significantly, only silence during mealtime reduced positive emotional states, while background music maintained positive emotions (p < 0.001). No specific differences emerged between the two types of music (focus piano and pop). CONCLUSIONS: These findings affirm the positive impact of background music during mealtime in real-world settings, enhancing the potential of inpatient eating rehabilitation programs for individuals with ED. More studies are needed to validate and extend these results, particularly in outpatient settings.

Mealtimes can be stressful for people with eating disorders (ED). This study looked at how background music during meals could help. We had 51 women with ED in an inpatient ward. They ate lunch and dinner without music, calming piano music, or pop music for ten days. We asked them about their feelings, noise, and hunger. Dietitians noted what they ate and any rituals. We found that not having music led to more uneaten food and eating rituals. Surprisingly, complete silence reduced positive emotions. All types of music kept positive feelings, with no difference between them. Music helped to make mealtimes better for these patients. But more research is needed, especially for patients outside the hospital.

The relationship between difficulties in the regulation of positive and negative emotions and binge-eating symptoms in young adults.

It is well-established that binge-eating (BE) is linked to emotion regulation (ER) difficulties. However, research to date has focused almost exclusively on difficulties regulating negative emotions, with little attention to the relationship between positive emotion dysregulation and BE. Further, research is inconclusive regarding which specific facets of ER difficulties are most strongly associated with BE behaviour. Therefore, the current study examined whether difficulties regulating both negative as well as positive emotions explained unique variance in BE among young adults. The study also aimed to identify which particular dimensions of negative and positive ER difficulties were most strongly related to BE symptoms. Participants (N = 449) ages 18-25 completed self-report measures of difficulties regulating positive and negative emotions, BE symptoms, and psychological distress. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that BE was related to difficulties regulating both positive emotions and negative emotions, after controlling for psychological distress and BMI. Lack of emotional clarity and lack of access to ER strategies when faced with strong negative emotions were the facets of negative ER difficulties most strongly associated with BE. Impulsivity when experiencing strong positive emotions was the facet of positive ER difficulties most strongly associated with BE. These findings support the ER model of BE and suggest that difficulties regulating both positive and negative emotions contribute to BE among young adults.

If it Ain't Broke, Don't Fix it: Positive Versus Negative Emotion Regulation in Daily Life and Depressive Symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Despite the importance of positive emotions for affective psychopathology, prior research primarily focused on negative emotion regulation. To address this gap, this ecological momentary assessment study compared a broad set of emotion regulation strategies in the context of positive versus negative emotions regarding their effectiveness and associations with depressive symptoms. METHODS: We analyzed data from 1066 participants who were notified five times daily for seven consecutive days to complete a smartphone survey assessing their predominant emotions, strategies to regulate them, and subsequent emotional outcomes. RESULTS: Findings show that the effectiveness of most regulation strategies depended on whether the emotional context was positive or negative. While acceptance and savoring predicted improved emotional outcomes across emotional contexts, reappraisal and problem-solving were associated with deteriorated emotional outcomes and increased depressive symptoms when regulating positive but not negative emotions. LIMITATIONS: Future studies should replicate our findings in demographically and culturally diverse clinical samples to improve generalizability. CONCLUSION: These results emphasize that strategies effective for regulating negative emotions may be less helpful in the context of positive emotions. Thus, context-specific interventions may be a promising approach to improve the treatment of affective disorders.

Are Self-transcendent Emotions One Big Family? An Empirical Taxonomy of Positive Self-transcendent Emotion Labels.

In the past decade, there has been a growing amount of research on so-called self-transcendent emotions, mainly in the domain of positive emotions. However, most candidate self-transcendent emotions (e.g., Awe, Gratitude, Being Moved, Wonder) have been studied in isolation, leaving the commonalities and the differences of their phenomenology unknown. In the present paper, we sought to identify the phenomenological nature of main families of self-transcendent emotions. We drew on two large datasets (N1 = 3,113; N2 = 1,443) in which participants had to recall an emotional episode or to watch emotional videos and had to report their emotions through a list of 40 emotion labels. Participants were also presented with a large list of items probing their cognitive appraisals, bodily feelings, and action tendencies. Using a principal component analysis, we identified three main dimensions of positive emotions: hedonic, social, and epistemic states. Candidate self-transcendent emotions were distributed across two dimensions, suggesting that at least two main different families of self-transcendent emotions should be distinguished. Our results also allowed us to identify self-reported cognitive appraisals, bodily feelings, and action tendencies characteristic of each family. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-023-00194-1.