The moods of happy people improved when they got positive feedback and worsened when they got negative feedback, but whether they heard or didn’t hear the feedback given to their partner made no difference. Unhappy people, on the other hand, were very much affected by the feedback their partner received. If a participant got positive feedback, but her partner got better feedback, the participant’s mood worsened. If a participant got negative feedback, but her partner got worse feedback, the participant’s mood improved. Thus it seemed as though the only thing that mattered to the unhappy people
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