Positive emotions and the regulation of negative moods

Mood regulation research has identified that cognitive self-appraisals of mood control ability are associated with negative mood control and its motivation. Positive emotion research has empirically demonstrated that resilient individuals actively cultivate positive emotions as a coping strategy for reducing the harmful physiological effects of negative emotions, and to find meaning in stressful experiences. However, the research has not investigated whether or not positive emotion is associated with cognitive self-appraisals of mood control, or whether or not the experience of positive emotion alone motivates resilient people to attempt negative mood regulation. The author predicted that positive emotions directly correlate with self-appraisals of mood control ability, and that they motivate resilient people to regulate negative moods. Correlational analyses corroborated the Broaden and Build Theory of Positive Emotion, and revealed that positive emotions are connected to favourable self-appraisals of mood control ability, specifically self-efficacious and energy depletion beliefs, which are associated with mood control motivation. Positive emotions partially contribute to resilient people's motivation to regulate negative moods through their relationship with cognitive self-appraisals of mood control ability. Cognitive priming is discussed as a plausible explanation for this relationship.