Connected by moods: The influence of individual mood, mood similarity, and mood convergence in supportive interactions
Research Poster Social & Behavioral Sciences 2025 Graduate ExhibitionPresentation by Nhung Vu
Exhibition Number 96
Abstract
The goal of this project is to compare three models for examining the influence of moods in supportive interactions – the affect interdependence model, the affect similarity model, and the affect convergence model. Participants (N =134) reported to a research laboratory with a friend or a romantic partner. Both participants and their partners completed recall tasks to induce experiences of either happy or sad moods. Participants and their partners then engaged in a supportive interaction, in which one person was assigned to be a support receiver while the other person was a support provider. Both people then completed a post-interaction survey. Preliminary results suggest that only receivers’ moods and not providers’ moods exerted influence in supportive interactions. Greater similarity in sad moods between providers and receivers was detrimental for the outcomes of supportive interactions. Greater mood convergence, regardless of valance (i.e., convergence towards negative or positive mood), generally promoted more favorable outcomes for both partners. Taken together, the different models for examining the influence of affect appears to produce different conclusions about the role of moods in supportive interactions. These findings provide a more nuanced and multi-faceted understanding of the role of moods elicited by external events in supportive interactions. Findings also provide practical implications for supportive interactions.
Importance
Affect, moods, and emotions permeate every phase of a supportive interaction. Additionally, people often enter these interactions with moods shaped by external events, such as a challenging day at work. Although there is some evidence on the influence of affect in supportive interactions, different conceptualizations of affective phenomena in these interactions remain underexplored. This study compares three models of affective influence – affect interdependence, affect similarity, and affect convergence - to provide a more nuanced understanding of the influence of moods in supportive interactions. Findings also provides practical implications. Most notably, when both providers and receivers experience high levels of sadness, they should refrain from engaging in a supportive interaction with one another as this could result in undesirable outcomes.