Ureche-Angelescu, Ilinca; (2024) Investigating the influence of mood bias on reward perception and how this relates to mood instability. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Mood influences our life satisfaction and affects our daily functioning, determining how we perceive risks and rewards and guiding our decisions. While neuroscience has demonstrated how outcomes affect mood, it has not fully explored the bidirectional relationship between mood and outcomes. This thesis aims to address that gap by understanding 1) if mood biases how valuable outcomes seem 2) if this bias differs across contexts and 3) how this can lead to mood instability and bipolar spectrum disorders. The thesis begins by reviewing the literature on mood research in cognitive neuroscience. It then describes the development of an innovative smartphone app, "The Happiness Project", highlighting how it can be used to democratise research access and collect large datasets. In a large general population study (over 4000 participants) using the app, results show mood can bias the perceived value of rewards, even in non-monetary contexts. This effect is more pronounced in individuals with greater trait mood instability. The thesis then examines the influence of mood bias in social contexts using a novel task where participants received rewards in the form of feedback from others. Results show negative mood can bias people's expectations of reward, but it does not seem to impact the value of social rewards. Finally, the thesis focuses on an app-based clinical study comparing mood bias between individuals with bipolar disorder and controls. The results show a clear mood bias on reward valuation in the bipolar group, absent in the control group. Additionally, the magnitude of mood bias increases with the severity of manic symptoms, suggesting its relevance in maintaining bipolar spectrum disorder symptoms. The thesis concludes by discussing the various contexts in which mood influences reward valuation, offering insights into the spectrum of mood instability, ranging from the general population to bipolar disorder.

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