What you think is what you get: Fear of happiness and its causal effect on current depressed mood in depressed patients and nondepressed controls

Abstract

There is evidence that depressed patients differ from non-depressed controls in their fear of happiness. This raises the question of whether fear of happiness causally impact depressive symptoms. The present study investigates the causal impact of fear of happiness on current depressed mood in depressed patients (n = 40) and nondepressed controls (n = 60) by experimentally manipulating fear of happiness. Level of depressed mood state was assessed before and after the manipulation. Depressed patients scored significantly higher on fear of happiness than nondepressed controls. Compared to a control group, participants who were experimentally induced to fear happiness, subsequently exhibited higher levels of depressed mood. This finding was evident in both groups, depressed patients and nondepressed controls. While further research is needed, the present results suggest the importance of fostering positive conceptions of happiness in the treatment of clinical depression as well as in its prevention.