Affective forecasting during a horror attraction: Insights into Intolerance of Uncertainty

Abstract

In this field study, we examined for the first time how Intolerance of Uncertainty influences expectations about negative, positive, and anxiety-related affect alongside the accuracy of those expectations. The study was conducted at a horror attraction, which offers an immersive, uncertain and threat-related experience. Participants (n = 1029) completed a measure of forecasted negative, positive and anxiety-related affect prior to the experience. Immediately after the experience, they rated their actual subjective experience of each of these affective states. Additionally, confidence ratings were reported for each forecasted emotion so that metacognitive awareness of forecasting accuracy could be assessed. Results showed that participants high in IU anticipated and actually experienced less positive affect, more anxiety-related affect and more negative-affect compared to those low in IU. IU predicted bias (overestimations) in emotional forecasts for negative affect, but not for positive or anxiety-related affect. The findings demonstrate that IU may be related to affective forecasting, which has implications for transdiagnostic models and treatment of psychopathology.