Being in a Bad Mood Could Make You Better At Your Job, According to a New StudyThe study found that being in a negative state of mind could make people more detail-oriented.
Don't go to bedangry, go to work.
A newstudyby University of Arizona assistant professor ofpsychologyand cognitive science Vicky Lai and researchers in the Netherlands found that when individuals were in a badmood, they were able to identify mistakes in language much faster than individuals who were in a good mood.
"We show that when people are in a negative mood, they are more careful and analytical," Lai said in the report. "They scrutinize what's actually stated in a text, and they don't just fall back on their default world knowledge."
The researchers conducted the study by showing subjects clips fromSophie's Choice(negative mood group) orFriends(positive mood group). They found that those who watched clips fromFriendsdid not have any change in mood. However, the group that watched clips ofSophie's Choicedid report a morenegative moodshift after.
Related:How a Better Night's Sleep Can Help Entrepreneurs Stay Calm and Focused at Work
After watching the clips, participants read short stories that contained one critical error regarding inconsistencies in language and context. During the test, subjects' brain waves were measured by EEG to see how they reacted to the inconsistencies. Subjects each participated in the experiment twice (one time in each control group), with each trial a week apart from the other.
Those who were in a negative mood showed brain activity related to re-analysis, demonstrating a sense of carefulness when considering the errors.
"We show that mood matters, and perhaps when we do some tasks we should pay attention to our mood," Lai said in the report. "If we're in a bad mood, maybe we should do things that are more detail-oriented, such as proofreading."
So if you're having abad day这可能是一个好主意通道任何挫折into re-reading an important document or editing a crucial email.
Related:Life Lessons: When You Hurt The Most, You Grow The Most
