State authenticity is the subjective sense of being one’s true self in a particular situation (Lenton, Bruder, et al., 2013). Previous studies suggested that the current mood influenced state authenticity because the judgment of state authenticity was made heuristically via available information (i.e., mood). However, the results were not clear. We examined whether the mood manipulation with short movies would affect state authenticity. The results partially supported the hypotheses; participants in a positive mood reported a higher degree of true self and less self-alienation than those in a neutral mood. However, the negative mood had no consistent effect on state authenticity. These results suggest that the effect of mood on state authenticity is limited or more complex than previously thought and point to the necessity for further investigations.
