Intentional Mood Boosting

What it is

In two experiments, Ferguson and Sheldon found that people asked to try to feel better while listening to music reported higher positive mood after 12 minutes, and that people instructed to try to become happier across five visits over two weeks showed rising subjective happiness. The effect depended on the music being positively toned.

In effect

The article on trying uses it to be happier as the activity-based counterpart to valuing happiness as a standard.

What it does not say

The effect depended on the music being positively toned, and the studies measured self-reported mood and happiness. They do not say that trying to feel better works in every setting or for every person.

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