Mental Contrasting of a Negative Future with a Positive Reality Regulates State Anxiety
Mental contrasting of a desired future with impeding reality is a self-regulatory strategy fostering goal pursuit. However, there is little research on mental contrasting of a negative future with a positive reality. We conducted two experiments, each with four experimental conditions, investigating...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2017-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01596/full |
| _version_ | 1811214073005604864 |
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| author | Gunnar Brodersen Gabriele Oettingen Gabriele Oettingen |
| author_facet | Gunnar Brodersen Gabriele Oettingen Gabriele Oettingen |
| author_sort | Gunnar Brodersen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mental contrasting of a desired future with impeding reality is a self-regulatory strategy fostering goal pursuit. However, there is little research on mental contrasting of a negative future with a positive reality. We conducted two experiments, each with four experimental conditions, investigating the effects of mental contrasting a negative future with a positive reality on state anxiety: participants who mentally contrasted a negative future regarding a bacterial epidemic (Study 1, N = 199) or an idiosyncratic negative event (Study 2, N = 206) showed less state anxiety than participants who imagined the negative future only or who reverse contrasted; participants who mentally elaborated on the positive reality also showed less state anxiety. Our findings suggest that mental contrasting of a negative future helps people reduce disproportional anxiety regarding a negative future. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T05:58:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3582652b1ea24eb0b74d2aea26010777 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T05:58:07Z |
| publishDate | 2017-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-3582652b1ea24eb0b74d2aea260107772022-12-22T03:45:07ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782017-09-01810.3389/fpsyg.2017.01596272414Mental Contrasting of a Negative Future with a Positive Reality Regulates State AnxietyGunnar Brodersen0Gabriele Oettingen1Gabriele Oettingen2Department of Psychology, University of HamburgHamburg, GermanyDepartment of Psychology, University of HamburgHamburg, GermanyDepartment of Psychology, New York University, New YorkNY, United StatesMental contrasting of a desired future with impeding reality is a self-regulatory strategy fostering goal pursuit. However, there is little research on mental contrasting of a negative future with a positive reality. We conducted two experiments, each with four experimental conditions, investigating the effects of mental contrasting a negative future with a positive reality on state anxiety: participants who mentally contrasted a negative future regarding a bacterial epidemic (Study 1, N = 199) or an idiosyncratic negative event (Study 2, N = 206) showed less state anxiety than participants who imagined the negative future only or who reverse contrasted; participants who mentally elaborated on the positive reality also showed less state anxiety. Our findings suggest that mental contrasting of a negative future helps people reduce disproportional anxiety regarding a negative future.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01596/fullself-regulationthinking about the futureanxietymental contrastingfantasies |
| spellingShingle | Gunnar Brodersen Gabriele Oettingen Gabriele Oettingen Mental Contrasting of a Negative Future with a Positive Reality Regulates State Anxiety Frontiers in Psychology self-regulation thinking about the future anxiety mental contrasting fantasies |
| title | Mental Contrasting of a Negative Future with a Positive Reality Regulates State Anxiety |
| title_full | Mental Contrasting of a Negative Future with a Positive Reality Regulates State Anxiety |
| title_fullStr | Mental Contrasting of a Negative Future with a Positive Reality Regulates State Anxiety |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mental Contrasting of a Negative Future with a Positive Reality Regulates State Anxiety |
| title_short | Mental Contrasting of a Negative Future with a Positive Reality Regulates State Anxiety |
| title_sort | mental contrasting of a negative future with a positive reality regulates state anxiety |
| topic | self-regulation thinking about the future anxiety mental contrasting fantasies |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01596/full |
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