Mood-Congruency Effect

Mood-congruency effect, also called mood-congruent memory, describes our tendency to more readily recall information or experiences whose emotional tone matches our current mood. When we’re happy, positive memories may come to mind more easily. When we’re sad, angry, or distressed, negative memories may be more accessible. The effect can influence how we interpret our past because the memories easiest to retrieve at a particular moment may not represent the full range of our experience. In psychiatry, the related term mood-congruent is also used more specifically to describe symptoms, particularly psychotic symptoms, whose content is consistent with a person’s current mood.