Fellowship for Melissa Cyders: Longitudinal & Experimental Analysis of Positive Urgency

The goal of the proposed program of research is to further examine the role of positive urgency in college alcohol use and risky behavior. Positive urgency can be defined as the tendency to act rashly and maladaptively while in a very positive mood state; it may be an important predictor of college drinking and risk taking, which tend to be celebratory in nature. In a recent series of studies, I developed and validated self-report and interview measures of positive urgency: the measures related to drinking quantity/frequency, problem drinking, and certain kinds of risky behavior. With this award, I propose to first test whether positive urgency, measured at the beginning of the freshman year in college, predicts problem drinking and drinking while in a postive mood over the course of that first year. Second, I propose to conduct three laboratory experiments. Those experiments will show that (a) individuals high in positive urgency become more disinhibited when in a very positive mood than when not; (b) they become more disinhibited when in a positive mood than do individuals low in positive urgency; and (c) they drink more alcohol when in a very positive mood than do others.