Using the lens of mania, Gruber examined how increased positive emotionality shapes one’s emotional experience and perception of others during a conversation between couples about a distressing topic. Her research revealed that heightened positive emotionality leads individuals to have a more positive emotional experience and perception of other people, inducing a positively biased “rose-colored glasses” perception of the world. In the study, 68 romantic couples were first asked to fill out several questionnaires to assess their manic symptoms using the Altman Self-Rating Mania (ASRM) Index. Then, they were seated in chairs across from each other in a private room with an experimenter on intercom, and both were asked to discuss “a time in
