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Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was two-fold: (1) to determine if a musical stimulus can successfully generate a positive mood induction and (2) to identify particular personality traits that may correlate with the response to this mood induction. Participants were recruited from social media websites (Facebook and Twitter), as well as from introductory psychology classes at a private university in the northeast, and completed online measures of the Big Five personality traits, positive, and negative affect. Participants were then asked to listen to a piece of music designed to induce a positive mood, followed by a subsequent assessment of both positive and negative affect. Results of our study show a complex pattern of interrelationships, consistent with the notion that both extraversion and neuroticism are characterized by mood reactivity. Future studies should attempt to replicate these findings.

Keywords

emotion happiness individual differences personality positive psychology

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