The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the mood regulation effects induced by different types of exercise and music. In Study 1, 67 university students listened to music (lively and dynamic Fast Music: FM or calm and static Slow Music: SM) and in Study 2, 78 university students performed the chosen exercise (Dynamic Exercise: DE or Static Exercise: SE). The changes in their mood states after each task of 3 min were compared by using the vitality, stability, arousal, and pleasure scores of mood states in the Two-Dimensional Mood Scale (Sakairi, Nakatsuka, & Shimizu, 2013). Results indicated that pleasure scores increased significantly after all tasks. Increases in the vitality score, as activation effect, was confirmed to have occurred after listening to FM, and engaging in DE and SE. Furthermore, increase in the stability score, as relaxation effect, was exhibited after listening to SM and engaging in SE. These findings suggest that individuals can self-regulate their mood states by appropriately taking advantage of activation and relaxation effects of different types of music and exercises.

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The relationship between test anxiety and restrained eating, as assessed by estimates of the calorie content of food was investigated. Female undergraduate students (N=169) participated in the study. They were shown two “healthy” (fruits) and four “unhealthy” foods (chocolate, potato chips, etc.), and were asked to estimate the calorie content of each food item. Participants also completed questionnaires assessing their test anxiety, as well as the Revised Restrained Scale. Results indicated that restrained eaters were more likely than unrestrained eaters to underestimate the calorie content of healthy food, regardless of their anxiety status. This finding suggested that restrained eaters, who are concerned with managing their weight, believe that healthy foods do not affect potential weight gain, which supported the health halo effect. Moreover, restrained eaters with low anxiety overestimated calories in sweets, which are unhealthy food, whereas restrained eaters with high anxiety underestimated their calories. These biases suggest that lower calorie estimation of unhealthy foods allowed restrained eaters to feel fewer cognitive conflicts associated with eating as an emotion regulation strategy.

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The relationship between emotional valence of social interactions and subjective happiness (SH) of elderly groups was investigated based on the convoy model in young adults (n=30), early-elderly (n=30), and late-elderly (n=29) groups. Results of a simple correlation analysis indicated a positive correlation between mean closeness scores and SH Scale scores in young adults and a positive correlation between mean emotional valence and SH Scale scores in early-elderly and late-elderly people. Moreover, multiple regression analysis was conducted by adding variables: health status scale score, the rate of relatives living together, the number of interactions, the mean frequency of the interactions per month, the rate of the same sex, which indicated that the significant correlation coefficient between mean closeness scores and SH scale scores disappeared, and that the number of interactions predicted SH in the young adult group. Furthermore, SH in the early-elderly and late-elderly groups was predicted by the mean emotional valence score. Results of this study suggested that selecting interactions with others with positive emotions was necessary for SH in elderly people, which supported the socioemotional selectivity theory.

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Effects of physical exercises on physical, mental and social functions of elderly people were investigated. Elderly people (N=16) in need of support participated in a randomized crossover study twice weekly for 8 weeks. Results indicated significant improvements in the Geriatric Depression Scale scores and in the gait duration in the Timed Up and Go Test for the group that implemented physical exercises. Moreover, a correlation was observed between improvements in physical functions after the intervention with physical, psychological and social functioning of frail elderly people. These results suggest that appropriate physical exercises for elderly people who are need of support were effective for improving their physical and mental functions. In addition, physical exercises were more effective for improving physical, psychological, and social functioning of frail elderly people.

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An exploratory investigation was conducted with university students regarding major negative events experienced by them, and the correlation between these events with accompanying emotions. University students (N=94) responded to an open-ended questionnaire. The negative events that they experienced were categorized using the KJ method into the following areas: (1) academic life/career, (2) human relations, (3) extracurricular activities/sports (4) losses, (5) disasters, (6) crime victimization, and (7) illness/injury. Then, Hayashi's Quantification Method III was applied to major negative events and accompanying emotions. Results indicated that major negative events experienced in extracurricular activities and sports were correlated with frustration and anger, those in academic life/career path and human relations were correlated with sadness, disasters with resignation, and loss with surprise. There was no correlation between experiences of crime victimization with any emotion. This research presents a frame of reference for investigating experiences of major negative events.

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