The PANAS is among the most widely used self-report measures in all of psychological and social science research. Watson, Clark, and Tellegen (1988) developed the PANAS to provide brief, reliable, valid, and largely uncorrelated measures of positive and negative affect. The key theoretical contribution is demonstrating that Positive Affect (PA) and Negative Affect (NA) are not opposites on a single bipolar dimension but are two largely independent dimensions. This two-factor structure is robust across populations, time instructions, and cultures. In consumer and marketing research, PA predicts approach motivation, hedonic consumption, and positive evaluation of products; NA is associated with avoidance motivation, complaint behaviour, negative word-of-mouth, and vulnerability to anxiety-based appeals. The PANAS can be used in state (current moment), situational, or trait (generally) formats.
Watson, D., Clark, L.A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(6), 1063–1070.
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