Extraversion rather than neuroticism is the dominant trait predictor of forecasted affect in relation to social situations

It is well established that extraversion and neuroticism predict experienced positive and negative affect, respectively. However, recent research has not consistently found a synonymous relationship with forecasted affect (i.e., the expectation one has of their future emotional state) in relation to social situations. Forecasted affect in these situations may in fact be as well, or better, predicted by extraversion, even for forecasted negative affect. In this study we investigated the factor structure of forecasted affect and assessed the relationships between extraversion, neuroticism, forecasted positive affect and forecasted negative affect. Measures of extraversion, neuroticism and forecasted affect were taken from participants in two cross-sectional studies (n1 = 198, n2 = 591) prior to an imminent group activity. In addition to showing that forecasted positive and negative affect are distinct constructs mirroring the factor structure of experienced positive and negative affect, our results also demonstrated that extraversion predicted forecasted negative affect as strongly, if not stronger, than forecasted positive affect, and predicted both as strongly, if not stronger, than neuroticism.