Affective forecasting and individual differences: accuracy for relational events and anxious attachment.
We examined whether accuracy of affective forecasting for significant life events was moderated by a theoretically relevant individual difference (anxious attachment), with different expected relations to predicted and actual happiness. In 3 studies (2 cross-sectional, 1 longitudinal), participants predicted what their happiness would be after entering or ending a romantic relationship. Consistent with previous research, people were generally inaccurate forecasters. However, inaccuracy for entering a relationship was significantly moderated by anxious attachment. Predictions were largely unrelated to anxious attachment, but actual happiness was negatively related to attachment anxiety. Moderation for breaking up showed a similar but less consistent pattern. These results suggest a failure to account for one's degree of anxious attachment when making affective forecasts and show how affective forecasting accuracy in important life domains may be moderated by a focally relevant individual difference, with systematically different associations between predicted and actual happiness.
Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 117940-2500, USA. jennifer.rodden@stonybrook.edu
Jennifer M
JM
Tomlinson
Cheryl L
CL
Carmichael
Harry T
HT
Reis
Arthur
A
Aron
D000293:Adolescent; D000339:Affect; D001007:Anxiety; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006240:Happiness; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult