Reflective rumination mediates the effects of neuroticism upon the fading affect bias in autobiographical memory

Abstract

ABSTRACT Across three studies we explored neuroticism in relation to the fading affect bias, which refers to the greater fading of unpleasant compared to pleasant emotions in autobiographical memory. With increasing neuroticism, there was an increase in the frequency of unpleasant event rehearsal, which was then linked to less fading of negative affect. Study 2 showed this effect was specific to reflective rehearsal, with Study 3 clarifying the mediating effect was due to increased frequency of the reflective sub-type of rumination. We offer new insights into the effects of neuroticism on autobiographical memory and suggest that reflective rumination can be linked to retention of negative affect in individuals with high neuroticism, which can be interpreted as indicative of maladaptive emotional processing.