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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
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The Effects of Mental Simulation on Coping with Controllable Stressful Events

Inna D. Rivkin

University of California, Los Angeles, irivkin{at}ucla.edu

Shelley E. Taylor

University of California, Los Angeles, taylors{at}psych.ucla.edu

Previous research has revealed that writing or talking about traumatic stressors can improve health and psychological well-being. The present study investigated whether similar benefits may be conferred by mental simulation and whether such simulations can improve coping and affective responses to ongoing stressful events. All participants designated an ongoing stressful event in their lives. One third of the participants visualized the event and the emotions they had experienced (event simulation), one third visualized having resolved the problem (outcome simulation), and one third were simply followed over time (control). Event simulation participants reported more positive affect, both immediately and 1 week later, and indicated higher levels of planned and reported active coping strategies, compared with the other two conditions. Discussion focuses on the potential of structured mental simulation to facilitate coping with stressful events.

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 25, No. 12, 1451-1462 (1999)
DOI: 10.1177/01461672992510002
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[Abstract] [PDF]