Extreme outcome expectations and affect intensity

Two studies tested the hypothesis that extreme outcome expectations are associated with affect intensity. Study 1 (N=104) measured extreme outcome expectations in response to one's idiosyncratic goals, and Study 2 (N=93) measured extreme outcome expectations in response to common life events. Higher levels of affect intensity were associated with higher levels of extreme outcome expectations in both studies. The association between affect intensity and extreme outcomes expectations held even after controlling for shared variance with other affective variables (i.e., trait pleasant affect, trait unpleasant affect, affect variability) and other variables that might overlap with extreme outcome expectations (i.e., optimism, pessimism).