Do induced moods really influence health perceptions?

Objective. To determine whether induced mood alters health reports. Design. Randomized experiments testing a) mood influence on two global self-rated health (SRH) assessments (Study 1; N = 168) and b) testing whether illness relevant thinking moderates the influence of induced negative mood on SRH and physical symptom reports (Study 2; N = 143). Main Outcome Measures. Two global SRH items. Results. Effect sizes for induced mood were near zero across both studies (r's = 0.00-0.07). Aggregate analyses of induced mood studies showed a small adverse effect of induced negative mood on SRH, but these analyses masked roughly equal instances of better SRH among groups with worse mood. Conclusion. Published experimental research shows no consistent pattern of poorer SRH following negative mood induction in college-aged samples. Sample size and gender may account for variation in health ratings among induced mood groups.