Effects of a best-possible-self mental imagery exercise on mood and dysfunctional attitudes

Abstract

a b s t r a c tDispositional optimism has been related to positive physical and mental health outcomes, increased positive mood ratings and cognitions about the future. In order to determine the causal relation between optimism and mood and cognitions optimism should be manipulated experimentally. The current study tested the effects of a best-possible-self mental imagery exercise on affect and mood ratings and dysfunctional cognitions following a sad mood induction in undergraduate students (N ¼40). Participants in the experimental condition wrote about their best possible self in the future for 15 min and engaged in a mental imagery task about their best possible self in the future for 5 min in order to experimentally induce optimism. Participants in the control condition wrote about a typical day for 15 min and engaged in mental imagery about a typical day for 5 min. We assessed affect, mood and dysfunctional cognitions before and after the experimental manipulation. Participants in the experimental condition had higher positive mood ratings and higher positive affect compared to participants in the control condition. Participants in the control condition reported decreased dysfunctional cognitions whereas dysfunctional cognitions in the experimental group remained unchanged. Future studies should replicate these findings in clinical groups with more profound levels of negative affect and dysfunctional cognitions.

Long-lasting effects of affective disorders and childhood trauma on dispositional optimism

“…An earlier study of our group showed that positive mental imagery of the future is associated with higher levels of optimism (Blackwell et al, 2013). A recent study showed that the use of a mental imagery exercise, called the Best-Possible-Self exercise, can reinstate positive affect and cognitions after sad mood induction (Renner et al, 2014). Despite that this experiment had only been conducted among healthy participants, it opens a new venue for treatment and prevention of affective disorders.…”

Nuevos abordajes para el tratamiento de la fibromialgia: una intervención positiva para la promoción del optimismo mediante la utilización de TICs

“…These results are in line with the findings of Pietrowsky and Mikutta [72], who showed that, after practicing the BPS, depressive patients decreased their BDI levels. Unlike previous BPS studies that did not find any interaction effect of induced optimism on negative affect, compared to a control condition [38,39,69,73], we found a significant effect on negative affect. Moreover, these changes were maintained at the follow-ups.…”

Efficacy of an adaptation of the Best Possible Self intervention implemented through positive technology: a randomized control trial

“…This result is consistent with the study by Pennebaker (1993), who showed that, independently of the emotional content of the writing, enhancing the use of words that express awareness or are related to cognitive activity was linked to improvements in health. Furthermore, other studies also showed that the daily activities exercise was able to improve dysfunctional attitude levels (Renner, Schwarz, Peters & Huibers, 2014) and diminish negative affect (Sheldon & Lyubomirsky, 2006). For this reason, it would be interesting to choose another more innocuous control activity in order to test the effects in a fairer way.…”