Scientists from the University of Arizona have discovered that people in a bad mood can notice mistakes faster when listening to stories. Research published Boundaries in Communication.
The scientists manipulated the mood of the study participants by showing them video clips from the sad Sophie’s Choice movie or the comedy Friends. The comedy clips did not affect the mood of the participants, but the sad clips managed to create a more negative mood in the participants. All participants were women.
Participants then listened to a series of emotionally neutral audio recordings. Each consisted of four sentences, one of which contained a logical error. For example, in a story about driving at night or in a text about looking at the stars, the sentence “You see less when the lights are on” is included. In the first case, this statement was false, in the second – true.
The scientists discovered that participants were more efficient at spotting errors when they were in a bad mood. Analysis of brain wave activity confirmed that people are more attentive and attentive.