Effects of Positive Suggestions on Mood States

Abstract

The experiment assessed the effects of a set of positive suggestions on mood states. Each of 63 undergraduate volunteers (32 males, 31 females) who completed the experiment was paid $20.00. Subjects were assigned randomly to a Treatment Group or a no-treatment Control Group. Treatment Group subjects listened to the same set of positive suggestions in each of four treatment sessions scheduled over a 2-week period. The Profile of Mood states (POMS) was used to measure six mood states (dependent variables). Hypotheses were tested (p < .01) by a multivariate analysis of variance of posttest POMS scores. There was no evidence of significant change in the mood states of subjects following the administration of a set of positive suggestions. Clinicians need to identify other psychotherapeutic techniques which may have escaped empirical scrutiny over the years.