DEPRESSION AND INTERPERSONAL RESPONSES TO OTHERS MOODS - THE SOLICITATION OF NEGATIVE INFORMATION ABOUT HAPPY PEOPLE

A total of four experiments tested the prediction that social comparis on concerns lead depressed individuals to solicit more negative disclo sures from happy people than they otherwise would. In Experiments 1 an d 2, depressed, mildly depressed, and nondepressed subjects reviewed i nformation about another person that included ratings of that person's mood (Experiment 2 also included a control condition without mood inf ormation). After reviewing the material, subjects chose a subset of it ems from a list of positive, negative, and neutral questions to ask th e person in an upcoming meeting. Experiment 3 replicated this procedur e but used a mood manipulation to define subject groups. Experiment 4 examined the impact of subjects' line of questioning on others. Taken together, the results indicate that when they believe their partner is happy, depressed individuals are especially likely to solicit negativ e information about that person. This unfavorable interpersonal respon se increases depressed individuals' risk of social rejection.