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Affective forecasting during a horror attraction: insights into intolerance of uncertainty

Affective forecasting during a horror attraction: insights into intolerance of uncertainty
Affective forecasting during a horror attraction: insights into intolerance of uncertainty

In this field study, we examined for the first time how Intolerance of Uncertainty influences expectations about negative, positive, and anxiety-related affect alongside the accuracy of those expectations. The study was conducted at a horror attraction, which offers an immersive, uncertain and threat-related experience. Participants (n = 1029) completed a measure of forecasted negative, positive and anxiety-related affect prior to the experience. Immediately after the experience, they rated their actual subjective experience of each of these affective states. Additionally, confidence ratings were reported for each forecasted emotion so that metacognitive awareness of forecasting accuracy could be assessed. Results showed that participants high in IU anticipated and actually experienced less positive affect, more anxiety-related affect and more negative-affect compared to those low in IU. IU predicted bias (overestimations) in emotional forecasts for negative affect, but not for positive or anxiety-related affect. The findings demonstrate that IU may be related to affective forecasting, which has implications for transdiagnostic models and treatment of psychopathology.

Affective forecasting, Anxiety, Fear, Horror, Intolerance of Uncertainty, Meta-cognition
0887-6185
FitzGibbon, L.
d621433d-1c21-4155-8bed-e6d944d3bf38
Morriss, J.
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Clasen, M.
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Wake, S.
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Nesbit, R.
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Malmdorf Andersen, M.
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Dodd, H.F.
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FitzGibbon, L.
d621433d-1c21-4155-8bed-e6d944d3bf38
Morriss, J.
a6005806-07cf-4283-8766-900003a7306f
Clasen, M.
0586ceb5-28bd-4362-8be7-ed4d69038f01
Wake, S.
22c24880-8875-45fa-ab70-d72080254c04
Nesbit, R.
dc5a70ae-e0ff-4b9c-b737-559d79282cd0
Malmdorf Andersen, M.
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Dodd, H.F.
1a9b8b84-0147-4800-9da2-af800e807d02

FitzGibbon, L., Morriss, J., Clasen, M., Wake, S., Nesbit, R., Malmdorf Andersen, M. and Dodd, H.F. (2025) Affective forecasting during a horror attraction: insights into intolerance of uncertainty. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 114, [103046]. (doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2025.103046).

Record type: Article

Abstract

In this field study, we examined for the first time how Intolerance of Uncertainty influences expectations about negative, positive, and anxiety-related affect alongside the accuracy of those expectations. The study was conducted at a horror attraction, which offers an immersive, uncertain and threat-related experience. Participants (n = 1029) completed a measure of forecasted negative, positive and anxiety-related affect prior to the experience. Immediately after the experience, they rated their actual subjective experience of each of these affective states. Additionally, confidence ratings were reported for each forecasted emotion so that metacognitive awareness of forecasting accuracy could be assessed. Results showed that participants high in IU anticipated and actually experienced less positive affect, more anxiety-related affect and more negative-affect compared to those low in IU. IU predicted bias (overestimations) in emotional forecasts for negative affect, but not for positive or anxiety-related affect. The findings demonstrate that IU may be related to affective forecasting, which has implications for transdiagnostic models and treatment of psychopathology.

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Accepted/In Press date: 6 June 2025
e-pub ahead of print date: 7 June 2025
Published date: 18 June 2025
Keywords: Affective forecasting, Anxiety, Fear, Horror, Intolerance of Uncertainty, Meta-cognition

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 504383
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/504383
ISSN: 0887-6185
PURE UUID: 07f9ecc3-76c7-4b7b-a28a-d8724be28be5
ORCID for J. Morriss: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-7928-9673

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Date deposited: 08 Sep 2025 17:02
Last modified: 09 Sep 2025 02:12

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Contributors

Author: L. FitzGibbon
Author: J. Morriss ORCID iD
Author: M. Clasen
Author: S. Wake
Author: R. Nesbit
Author: M. Malmdorf Andersen
Author: H.F. Dodd

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