The Effects of mood, message framing, and behavioral advocacy on persuasion

Two experimental studies explored the interactive effects of mood, framing, and health behavioral advocacy on persuasion. In Study 1, happy and sad moods were found to activate the behavioral approach system (BAS) and the behavioral inhibition system (BIS), respectively. Assuming similar relationships with action-oriented BAS and restraint-oriented BIS, gain and loss framing and prescriptive and proscriptive health advocacies were predicted to interact with happy and sad moods in Study 2. Mood congruency effects were found in a mood by both framing interaction and behavioral advocacy interaction. Gain framing was most effective when coupled with positive moods and prescriptive behavioral advocacy. Loss framing produced the most potent persuasive effects when coupled with sad moods and restraint advocacy.