Emotional closure in autobiographical memories: investigating future events for resolution

Abstract

Autobiographical events can be open or closed according to the accompanying feeling of unresolved/resolution. Present study focuses on open events having potentiality to be closed and future resolution events. We asked 74 participants two past events in counterbalanced order: open with closure potential and closed. After each event, they also reported future resolution event and similar closed future event. We compared the phenomenology and spontaneous thinking characteristics. In addition to replicating findings for open and closed memories, results depicted that future resolution events were overall more positive with more positive mood impact upon spontaneously thought than open events, although their spontaneous thinking frequency was similar. As expected, these events were similar in emotional intensity during reporting and when spontaneously thought, but unexpectedly similar in reliving/pre-living feelings. We discuss our results in threshold hypothesis context with future thinking, specifically how it might be different for spontaneous future cognition.