The moderating effect of self-concept valence on the relationship between self-focused attention and mood: An experience sampling study

This study examined the moderating role of self-esteem and neuroticism on the relationship between self-focused attention and mood using experience sampling methodology. 107 undergraduate participants were paged seven times each day over the course of a week and completed a set of measures that included items assessing current mood, focus of attention, and self-evaluative thoughts during these times. A significant within-person relationship was found between focus of attention and mood such that self-focus samplings were associated with a shift toward negative mood compared with samplings involving non-self-focus. As hypothesized, those with higher self-esteem and lower neuroticism showed less of a shift toward negative mood during self-focused attention relative to those with lower self-esteem and higher neuroticism. Moreover, the valence of self-evaluative thoughts during states of self-focused attention was shown to mediate the impact of these personality traits on mood.