The Impact of Mood modification on Memorization Performance in Echocardiography Students: A Randomized Controlled Study

Introduction: This randomized experimental study investigates whether inducing a forced smile and evoking positive social memories can enhance students' ability to memorize a complex medical echocardiographic lesson. Our goal was to measure test performance improvement due to an intervention aimed at increasing the feeling of happiness.Materials and Methods: Ethical approval was obtained from the Société Francaise D’anesthésie Reanimation (SFAR) Ethics Committee (Comité d’éthique pour la recherche en réanimation (CERAR)). Echocardiography students took a 25-question pre-test. They were then randomized into 'Happy Mood' and 'Neutral Mood' groups and underwent a 30-minute training session, using facial expressions and memory visualization to induce happy or neutral moods. Post-training performance was assessed with a 25-question test. The primary outcome was the comparative performance improvement between groups, with secondary outcomes analyzing confounding factors.Results: Eighty-four students (mean age 32 years) were assigned to Happy Mood (n=44) and Control (n=40) groups. Both groups had positive subjective happiness (mean SHS score 20) and moderate distress (mean DASS 21 score 33) at baseline. The Happy Mood Group did not show improved post-test scores compared to controls (adjusted OR 0.89, 95% CI: 0.77-1.02, P=0.100). Happiness levels remained unchanged, but students' confidence in performance increased. Age and echocardiography experience were associated with greater performance improvement.Conclusion: The results did not confirm the intervention's efficacy in improving mood or significantly enhancing memory. This could be due to intervention's ineffectiveness. Further research is needed to explore more effective strategies for enhancing emotional states and cognitive functions.Key words: Happiness, memory enhancement, mood induction