When we attempt to scrutinize the phenomena relating affect and health, we need to consider the activation dimension of positive and negative affect (PA and NA). In this study, after developing a scale to assess affect, we examined the effects of activated and deactivated PA and NA on depression and short-term life satisfaction (LS).

Participants were 496 undergraduate and graduate students (240 men and 256 women). They completed three questionnaires for assessing affect, depression, and short-term LS, respectively. In order to test the validity of the Activated and Deactivated Affect Questionnaire (ADAQ) that was developed in this study, the other two questionnaires were administered.

In the ADAQ, four factors, activated and deactivated PA and NA, were identified alongside sufficient internal consistency and concurrent validity. Results from hierarchical regression analyses showed that depression was negatively associated with PA and positively with NA, while LS was positively associated with PA and negatively with NA. These associations were found regardless of the levels of affect activation. Moreover, a number of significant PA x NA interactions revealed: (1) activated PA was negatively associated with depression, but this association was stronger with higher activated NA; and (2) regarding the effects on LS, the positive association between activated PA (or deactivated PA) and activated NA (or deactivated NA) was stronger with lower activated (or deactivated) NA.

This study suggests that the activation level of affect and relations of PA and NA would be differently influential on health and adjustment.