Changes in the breadth of visual-spatial attention affect subsequent mood

Changes in mood can influence the allocation of attention. Positive affect, for example, is often associated with a broadening of attention, whereas negative affect is often associated with a narrowing of attention. Here we examine whether the link between mood and visuospatial attention also works in the opposite direction. Can changes in the breadth of attention affect subsequent mood? We assessed mood both before and after a global/local visual-perception task that required participants to adopt a relatively broad, neutral, or narrow attentional focus. We found that the Broad-focus task resulted in mood ratings that were higher in both affective valence and arousal than those following the Narrow-focus task and Neutral-focus task. These results build on prior findings to show that changes in the focus of attention can have affective consequences that include altered valence and arousal.