Be a different person with the right mood

Peoplein an upbeat mood are more exploratory and daring in attitude and, therefore,more apt to break from cultural stereotype, according to a studyBad mood, on the other hand,reinforces traditional cultural stereotypes and constrains people to think aboutthe world These are thefinding of a study led by Psychologists Claire Ashton-James of the University ofBritish Columbia, William W Maddux from INSEAD, Adam Galinsky of NorthwesternUniversity, and Tanya Chartrand from DukeUniversityThe.researchersrevealed that they wanted to study whether something as potent as culture mightbe tied to normal mood swings, and chose East-West cultural difference for theirresearch because it is wellestablished.The researcherspointed out that European cultures are known to value independence andindividuality, whereas Asian cultures prize community andharmonyThose participating inthe study consisted of students hailing from a number of different countries,and the researchers unconsciously raised or lowered their moods through twodifferent methods In onestudy, the volunteers were made to hear some upbeat Mozart on the stereo to lifttheir moods, or some Rachmaninov to bring them downIn another.study, thevolunteers held pens in their mouths: some held the pen with their teeth, whichbasically forces the face into a smile, which improves mood. Others held the penwith their lips, forcing a frownThe researchers made thevolunteers complete a variety of tests, each designed to measure the strength oftheir values One test offeredthe volunteers a choice of five pens, four blue and one red In keeping withcultural values, Asians typically pick from the more common blue pens in thistest — to be part of the group — while Westerners usually take theone red pen Another test hadthe volunteers think about the questions "Who am I?" and.listed 20 answers.The lists were analysed to seewhether they reflected predominantly individualistic or predominantly groupvaluesThe researchersobserved that feeling good did indeed encourage both European and Asianvolunteers, shaped their behaviour, and allowed them to act “out ofcharacter” Feeling bad did the oppositeBased on their observations,the researchers came to the conclusion that emotions may serve an importantsocial purpose, and that positive feelings may send a signal that it’ssafe to.broaden one’s view of the world — and to explore novelnotions of one’s self.