Being in a positive mood may affect our memory, but in a negative way.

A recent study has found that forgetfulness has something to do with positive emotions. Elizabeth Martin, a doctoral student of psychology in the College of Arts and Science of the University of Missouri in the United States, has found that being in a positive mood decreases our working memory capacity, according to news reports.

Research was conducted on two groups of participants who were shown different genres of video clips. One group watched a video of a stand-up comedy whereas the other group watched a video segment on how to install flooring. Unsurprisingly, those who watched the comedy videos were in a significantly better mood than those who watched the flooring video.

A memory test was conducted on the participants in the two groups after showing them the video. When participants were asked to recall numbers from a recording they heard, those who watched the comedy performed worse than those who watched the educational segment. Apparently, they were in a much better mood than those who scored higher.

However, more research must be done in real-life situations to concretely prove the impact of mood on working memory capacity, Martin said. Moreover, being in a good mood has other positive effects. “Being in a good mood may increase our creative problem solving skills and other aspects of thinking,” says Martin.

Martin’s research on the relationship between mood and memory was published recently in Cognition and Emotion, a science journal.

By Yun Suh-young (syun@heraldcorp.com)
Intern Reporter
Edited by Rob York