Four studies were conducted to determine how a person feels after being exposed to a variety of negative life events. Individuals' reports of stress reflected an averaging process. Individuals reported feeling more negative (stressed) after being exposed to one highly negative event than after one highly negative and one mildly negative event. The reports also reflected a summation process; individuals reported feeling less negative after being exposed to one highly negative and one mildly negative event than after exposure to one highly negative and three or four mildly negative events. Discussion sets forth the implications of an averaging-summation (A.S.) model for stress and mood, for positive experiences, and for attitudes and impressions in general. When and in what type of context (both affective and informational) A.S. processes would operate is also discussed.
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