Gillian Debra, Jolien Braet, Nathalie Michels, Elisabeth Schreuders, Matteo Giletta
Adolescence is marked by elevated levels of negative affect (NA) and is a crucial period for the development of emotion regulation (ER). To date, relatively little is known about how adolescents' daily use of different ER strategies (ERS) is associated with momentary affective experiences. To elucidate these dynamics, we investigated whether (a) within-person differences in using different ERS were related to momentary NA and positive affect, (b) ER variability (operationalized as between-strategy variability) was related to momentary affect, and (c) stressor intensity was a moderator herein. Data from two ecological momentary assessment studies were used: NStudy1 = 89 Dutch adolescents (48% females, data collected in 2019) and NStudy2 = 266 Belgian adolescents (42% females, data collected in 2021). Momentary affect and ERS use were measured eight times per day during 1 week (Study 1) or five times during 2 weeks (Study 2). Within-person associations were estimated using a series of univariate autoregressive (Lag-1) dynamic structural equation models. Results show that, of all the ERS examined, only distraction was associated with lower levels of momentary NA and higher levels of positive affect across both studies, whereas the opposite associations were found for rumination. Contrary to expectations, ER variability was associated with lower levels of momentary NA only when stressor intensity was low but with higher levels of NA when stressor intensity was high. Overall, findings have noteworthy implications for future research on affect dynamics in adolescents and reveal a more nuanced picture about the benefits of ER variability in daily life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
青春期的特点是负性情绪(NA)水平升高,是情绪调节(ER)发展的关键时期。迄今为止,人们对青少年日常使用不同情绪调节策略(ERS)与瞬间情绪体验之间的关系知之甚少。为了阐明这些动态变化,我们研究了:(a) 使用不同ERS的人内差异是否与瞬间NA和积极情绪有关;(b) ER的可变性(可操作化为策略间可变性)是否与瞬间情绪有关;(c) 压力源强度是否是调节因素。本研究使用了两项生态瞬间评估研究的数据:NStudy1 = 89 名荷兰青少年(48% 为女性,数据收集于 2019 年),NStudy2 = 266 名比利时青少年(42% 为女性,数据收集于 2021 年)。在一周内每天测量八次(研究 1)或在两周内测量五次(研究 2)瞬时情绪和 ERS 使用情况。使用一系列单变量自回归(Lag-1)动态结构方程模型估算了人与人之间的关联。结果表明,在两项研究中,在所有被研究的ERS中,只有分心与较低的瞬间NA水平和较高的积极情绪水平相关,而反刍则与之相反。与预期相反,只有当压力强度较低时,ER 变异才与较低的瞬间 NA 水平相关,而当压力强度较高时,ER 变异则与较高的 NA 水平相关。总之,研究结果对青少年情感动态的未来研究具有值得注意的意义,并揭示了日常生活中ER变异性的益处。(PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA,版权所有)。
{"title":"Within-person associations between emotion regulation and negative affect in adolescents' daily life.","authors":"Gillian Debra, Jolien Braet, Nathalie Michels, Elisabeth Schreuders, Matteo Giletta","doi":"10.1037/emo0001505","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001505","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Adolescence</i> is marked by elevated levels of negative affect (NA) and is a crucial period for the development of emotion regulation (ER). To date, relatively little is known about how adolescents' daily use of different ER strategies (ERS) is associated with momentary affective experiences. To elucidate these dynamics, we investigated whether (a) within-person differences in using different ERS were related to momentary NA and positive affect, (b) ER variability (operationalized as between-strategy variability) was related to momentary affect, and (c) stressor intensity was a moderator herein. Data from two ecological momentary assessment studies were used: <i>N</i><sub>Study1</sub> = 89 Dutch adolescents (48% females, data collected in 2019) and <i>N</i><sub>Study2</sub> = 266 Belgian adolescents (42% females, data collected in 2021). Momentary affect and ERS use were measured eight times per day during 1 week (Study 1) or five times during 2 weeks (Study 2). Within-person associations were estimated using a series of univariate autoregressive (Lag-1) dynamic structural equation models. Results show that, of all the ERS examined, only distraction was associated with lower levels of momentary NA and higher levels of positive affect across both studies, whereas the opposite associations were found for rumination. Contrary to expectations, ER variability was associated with lower levels of momentary NA only when stressor intensity was low but with higher levels of NA when stressor intensity was high. Overall, findings have noteworthy implications for future research on affect dynamics in adolescents and reveal a more nuanced picture about the benefits of ER variability in daily life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143469596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) are central to cognitive reappraisal, yet the mechanisms underlying their collaboration remain unclear. This study uses transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) to modulate neural synchrony between the DLPFC and VLPFC in the theta band, aiming to elucidate the effects of synchronous versus asynchronous neural interaction on reappraisal. It also examines whether these effects are unique to reappraisal or extend to other emotion regulation strategies. In Experiment 1, 43 participants underwent in-phase, antiphase, or sham tACS before performing a reappraisal task to downregulate negative emotions. The findings showed that in-phase tACS significantly enhanced reappraisal performance and reduced regulation difficulty, supporting a causal role of DLPFC-VLPFC synchrony in reappraisal. Experiment 2 combined tACS with electroencephalography to further validate these results and included distraction as a control condition. Another 43 participants engaged in both reappraisal and distraction strategies following either in-phase or sham tACS. Phase-locking values confirmed that in-phase tACS selectively enhanced theta-band oscillations between the DLPFC and VLPFC. Consistent with Experiment 1, in-phase tACS specifically improved reappraisal performance, as indicated by reduced negative emotional responses, lower regulation difficulty, and a decrease in late positive potential amplitude, with no effect on distraction. This study provides the first causal evidence that enhancing DLPFC-VLPFC synchrony improves reappraisal performance. These findings highlight the potential of neural modulation to optimize brain network connectivity, offering promising avenues for targeted interventions in emotion regulation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
{"title":"Causal enhancement of cognitive reappraisal through synchronized dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activity.","authors":"Yuyao Tang, Licheng Mo, Zhilin Peng, Yiwei Li, Dandan Zhang","doi":"10.1037/emo0001507","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001507","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) are central to cognitive reappraisal, yet the mechanisms underlying their collaboration remain unclear. This study uses transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) to modulate neural synchrony between the DLPFC and VLPFC in the theta band, aiming to elucidate the effects of synchronous versus asynchronous neural interaction on reappraisal. It also examines whether these effects are unique to reappraisal or extend to other emotion regulation strategies. In Experiment 1, 43 participants underwent in-phase, antiphase, or sham tACS before performing a reappraisal task to downregulate negative emotions. The findings showed that in-phase tACS significantly enhanced reappraisal performance and reduced regulation difficulty, supporting a causal role of DLPFC-VLPFC synchrony in reappraisal. Experiment 2 combined tACS with electroencephalography to further validate these results and included distraction as a control condition. Another 43 participants engaged in both reappraisal and distraction strategies following either in-phase or sham tACS. Phase-locking values confirmed that in-phase tACS selectively enhanced theta-band oscillations between the DLPFC and VLPFC. Consistent with Experiment 1, in-phase tACS specifically improved reappraisal performance, as indicated by reduced negative emotional responses, lower regulation difficulty, and a decrease in late positive potential amplitude, with no effect on distraction. This study provides the first causal evidence that enhancing DLPFC-VLPFC synchrony improves reappraisal performance. These findings highlight the potential of neural modulation to optimize brain network connectivity, offering promising avenues for targeted interventions in emotion regulation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143469575","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Angie M Gross, Jocelyn Lai, Nathaniel S Eckland, Renee J Thompson
Interoceptive awareness is a multidimensional construct that denotes the conscious level of one's ability to sense the physiological conditions of their body. Theories (e.g., constructionist theories of emotion) propose associations with psychological clarity, yet empirical support is limited when examining these constructs globally. We hypothesized that these associations exist at the momentary level and that they are associated with certain individual differences (i.e., life satisfaction, conscientiousness, depression, neuroticism). Using experience sampling methodology, participants (N = 179 adults; Mage = 35.3, SDage = 12.2) reported on six dimensions of interoceptive awareness, as well as emotional clarity and goal clarity five times a day over 14 days. They also completed self-report measures assessing individual differences. We found nearly all measured interoceptive awareness dimensions were independently, positively associated with emotional clarity and goal clarity. These associations were, unexpectedly, strengthened by greater depression and neuroticism and weakened by greater life satisfaction and conscientiousness, suggesting potential implications for the individual differences involved in how people generate, clarify, and understand their emotions and goals. These findings demonstrate dimensions of momentary interoceptive awareness are positively associated with emotional and goal clarity and identify potential mechanisms underlying associations between interoceptive awareness and psychological clarity, including psychological outcomes and personality traits. Individuals with elevated depression or neuroticism may rely more heavily on bottom-up processing to understand their emotions and goals, whereas individuals high in life satisfaction or conscientiousness may be more equipped to use top-down processing for this purpose. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
{"title":"Interoceptive awareness and clarity of one's emotions and goals: A naturalistic investigation.","authors":"Angie M Gross, Jocelyn Lai, Nathaniel S Eckland, Renee J Thompson","doi":"10.1037/emo0001510","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001510","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Interoceptive awareness is a multidimensional construct that denotes the conscious level of one's ability to sense the physiological conditions of their body. Theories (e.g., constructionist theories of emotion) propose associations with psychological clarity, yet empirical support is limited when examining these constructs globally. We hypothesized that these associations exist at the momentary level and that they are associated with certain individual differences (i.e., life satisfaction, conscientiousness, depression, neuroticism). Using experience sampling methodology, participants (<i>N</i> = 179 adults; <i>M</i><sub>age</sub> = 35.3, <i>SD</i><sub>age</sub> = 12.2) reported on six dimensions of interoceptive awareness, as well as emotional clarity and goal clarity five times a day over 14 days. They also completed self-report measures assessing individual differences. We found nearly all measured interoceptive awareness dimensions were independently, positively associated with emotional clarity and goal clarity. These associations were, unexpectedly, strengthened by greater depression and neuroticism and weakened by greater life satisfaction and conscientiousness, suggesting potential implications for the individual differences involved in how people generate, clarify, and understand their emotions and goals. These findings demonstrate dimensions of momentary interoceptive awareness are positively associated with emotional and goal clarity and identify potential mechanisms underlying associations between interoceptive awareness and psychological clarity, including psychological outcomes and personality traits. Individuals with elevated depression or neuroticism may rely more heavily on bottom-up processing to understand their emotions and goals, whereas individuals high in life satisfaction or conscientiousness may be more equipped to use top-down processing for this purpose. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143469579","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jan Theeuwes, Jonna van Doorn, Dirk van Moorselaar
This study demonstrates that even objects generating acute fear through shock conditioning can be attentionally suppressed. Participants searched for shapes while a color singleton distractor was presented. In a preconditioning phase, participants learned to suppress a color singleton distractor frequently appearing in a specific location. Following fear conditioning, suppression remained in place even for those color distractors that were now associated with receiving an electric shock. This finding provides evidence that people can learn to suppress stimuli they fear. The current results are important as they challenge prevailing theories that suggest attentional capture by fearful stimuli is inflexible and driven by innate, bottom-up processes. Moreover, the finding that fearful stimuli can be suppressed opens up potential avenues for developing behavior modification techniques aimed at counteracting attentional biases toward fearful stimuli. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
{"title":"Suppression of fear-conditioned stimuli.","authors":"Jan Theeuwes, Jonna van Doorn, Dirk van Moorselaar","doi":"10.1037/emo0001515","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001515","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study demonstrates that even objects generating acute fear through shock conditioning can be attentionally suppressed. Participants searched for shapes while a color singleton distractor was presented. In a preconditioning phase, participants learned to suppress a color singleton distractor frequently appearing in a specific location. Following fear conditioning, suppression remained in place even for those color distractors that were now associated with receiving an electric shock. This finding provides evidence that people can learn to suppress stimuli they fear. The current results are important as they challenge prevailing theories that suggest attentional capture by fearful stimuli is inflexible and driven by innate, bottom-up processes. Moreover, the finding that fearful stimuli can be suppressed opens up potential avenues for developing behavior modification techniques aimed at counteracting attentional biases toward fearful stimuli. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143469581","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shimrit Daches, Andrew J Seidman, Lauren M Bylsma, Charles J George, Enikő Kiss, Krisztina Kapornai, Ildikó Baji, Maria Kovacs
Successful mood repair (i.e., attenuating sad, dysphoric affect) is a critical form of emotion regulation that is necessary for healthy functioning. Laboratory-based studies have examined how well individuals can reduce sadness and how this process is affected by psychopathology like depression and cognitive mechanisms like attentional control. However, the extent to which laboratory-based findings inform about the regulation of sadness in daily life is unknown. To examine the ecological validity of laboratory-based mood repair paradigms, we compared mood repair success in the laboratory and daily life (assessed via ecological momentary assessment) among young adults remitted from depression (n = 126) and those never depressed (n = 104). Participants completed an experimental mood repair task followed by a 7-day ecological momentary assessment protocol during which they reported the responses they used to regulate sadness throughout the day. We expected that history of diagnosed depression and attentional control (assessed via a self-report questionnaire) would moderate the relationship between mood repair success in the two settings. Overall, more successful mood repair in the laboratory predicted more successful mood repair in daily life, supporting the ecological validity of laboratory-based information about affective processes. Depression history (but not attentional control) moderated this relationship: Mood repair in the laboratory predicted mood repair in daily life among never-depressed participants, while the association was only at a trend level among those with remitted depression. Thus, the findings raise questions about how the laboratory-based mood repair performance of depression-prone individuals can inform depression-focused conceptual and treatment development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
{"title":"Successful mood repair in the laboratory predicts successful mood repair in daily life for typical but not for depression-prone young adults.","authors":"Shimrit Daches, Andrew J Seidman, Lauren M Bylsma, Charles J George, Enikő Kiss, Krisztina Kapornai, Ildikó Baji, Maria Kovacs","doi":"10.1037/emo0001469","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001469","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Successful mood repair (i.e., attenuating sad, dysphoric affect) is a critical form of emotion regulation that is necessary for healthy functioning. Laboratory-based studies have examined how well individuals can reduce sadness and how this process is affected by psychopathology like depression and cognitive mechanisms like attentional control. However, the extent to which laboratory-based findings inform about the regulation of sadness in daily life is unknown. To examine the ecological validity of laboratory-based mood repair paradigms, we compared mood repair success in the laboratory and daily life (assessed via ecological momentary assessment) among young adults remitted from depression (<i>n</i> = 126) and those never depressed (<i>n</i> = 104). Participants completed an experimental mood repair task followed by a 7-day ecological momentary assessment protocol during which they reported the responses they used to regulate sadness throughout the day. We expected that history of diagnosed depression and attentional control (assessed via a self-report questionnaire) would moderate the relationship between mood repair success in the two settings. Overall, more successful mood repair in the laboratory predicted more successful mood repair in daily life, supporting the ecological validity of laboratory-based information about affective processes. Depression history (but not attentional control) moderated this relationship: Mood repair in the laboratory predicted mood repair in daily life among never-depressed participants, while the association was only at a trend level among those with remitted depression. Thus, the findings raise questions about how the laboratory-based mood repair performance of depression-prone individuals can inform depression-focused conceptual and treatment development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143442366","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tomas Meaney, Vijay Yadav, Isaac Galatzer-Levy, Richard Bryant
Diminished capacities to experience and anticipate pleasure have been differentially associated with psychopathology. However, measurement of this construct has been limited to self-report scales and complex behavioral tasks. In the present study, university students (N = 100) were categorized into low and high scorers on self-report measures of consummatory and anticipatory pleasure. Low and high scorers were then compared on the facial, vocal, and linguistic phenotypes of their descriptions of positive memories and future events. Scoring lower on consummatory pleasure was not associated with any differences in facial, vocal, or linguistic expression. Scoring lower on anticipatory pleasure was linked with decreased facial expression of happiness, mean vocal pitch, and amount of speech, as well as increased jitter and shimmer in the voice when describing positive future events. These results suggest that remote digital measures could be a useful adjunct for identifying individuals with diminished anticipatory pleasure. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
{"title":"Digital phenotypes of the diminished capacity for consummatory and anticipatory pleasure.","authors":"Tomas Meaney, Vijay Yadav, Isaac Galatzer-Levy, Richard Bryant","doi":"10.1037/emo0001503","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001503","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Diminished capacities to experience and anticipate pleasure have been differentially associated with psychopathology. However, measurement of this construct has been limited to self-report scales and complex behavioral tasks. In the present study, university students (<i>N</i> = 100) were categorized into low and high scorers on self-report measures of consummatory and anticipatory pleasure. Low and high scorers were then compared on the facial, vocal, and linguistic phenotypes of their descriptions of positive memories and future events. Scoring lower on consummatory pleasure was not associated with any differences in facial, vocal, or linguistic expression. Scoring lower on anticipatory pleasure was linked with decreased facial expression of happiness, mean vocal pitch, and amount of speech, as well as increased jitter and shimmer in the voice when describing positive future events. These results suggest that remote digital measures could be a useful adjunct for identifying individuals with diminished anticipatory pleasure. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143442357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Laura Sels, Nickola C Overall, Tom Loeys, Pauline Verhelst, Elise K Kalokerinos
Expressive suppression, which involves hiding emotions, is a common emotion regulation behavior in relationships but interferes with perceived responsiveness and closeness. These relationship costs make it important to identify the contexts in which the use and harmful correlates of expressive suppression are more likely to occur. Building from theory positing that different contexts entail different risks of rejection, we investigated whether expressive suppression was (a) more intense and (b) associated with worse relational outcomes in high-risk than low-risk relationship interaction contexts. In two studies (conducted in 2016-2017 and 2022), Belgian couples engaged in separate discussions about each other's most annoying characteristics (high-risk context) and valuable characteristics (low-risk context). For each discussion, each couple member reported how much they had suppressed their emotions, felt their partner was responsive toward them, and felt close to their partner. In Study 1 (n = 101 couples), expressive suppression was assessed for emotions in general. In Study 2 (n = 130 couples), expressive suppression was assessed for negative and positive emotions separately. In both studies, participants reported suppressing emotions more intensely in high-risk than in low-risk contexts. Actors' (and sometimes partners') expressive suppression was also associated with lower perceived responsiveness and closeness. However, results regarding whether suppression was associated with worse relational outcomes in the high-risk versus low-risk context were inconsistent, depending on the specificity of emotions assessed with the suppression measure (general, negative, or positive) and the relational outcome. The findings suggest that expressive suppression might be harmful regardless of the risk of relationship interactions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
{"title":"The use and consequences of expressive suppression in high-risk and low-risk relationship discussions.","authors":"Laura Sels, Nickola C Overall, Tom Loeys, Pauline Verhelst, Elise K Kalokerinos","doi":"10.1037/emo0001494","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001494","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Expressive suppression, which involves hiding emotions, is a common emotion regulation behavior in relationships but interferes with perceived responsiveness and closeness. These relationship costs make it important to identify the contexts in which the use and harmful correlates of expressive suppression are more likely to occur. Building from theory positing that different contexts entail different risks of rejection, we investigated whether expressive suppression was (a) more intense and (b) associated with worse relational outcomes in high-risk than low-risk relationship interaction contexts. In two studies (conducted in 2016-2017 and 2022), Belgian couples engaged in separate discussions about each other's most annoying characteristics (high-risk context) and valuable characteristics (low-risk context). For each discussion, each couple member reported how much they had suppressed their emotions, felt their partner was responsive toward them, and felt close to their partner. In Study 1 (<i>n</i> = 101 couples), expressive suppression was assessed for emotions in general. In Study 2 (<i>n</i> = 130 couples), expressive suppression was assessed for negative and positive emotions separately. In both studies, participants reported suppressing emotions more intensely in high-risk than in low-risk contexts. Actors' (and sometimes partners') expressive suppression was also associated with lower perceived responsiveness and closeness. However, results regarding whether suppression was associated with worse relational outcomes in the high-risk versus low-risk context were inconsistent, depending on the specificity of emotions assessed with the suppression measure (general, negative, or positive) and the relational outcome. The findings suggest that expressive suppression might be harmful regardless of the risk of relationship interactions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143442368","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jonas Petter, Ashish Mehta, Kate Petrova, Merel Kindt, Gal Sheppes, Jonas M B Haslbeck, James J Gross
Different emotion regulation strategies have very different consequences. This observation has inspired a growing body of work seeking to identify the factors that predict emotion regulation strategy choice. To explain these findings, several explanatory theories have been proposed. As with most theories in the field of affective science, they are formulated in natural language. Translating these theories into the language of mathematics may bring more clarity to the field and help generate new, testable hypotheses. The present article aimed to formulate more precise theoretical predictions by translating verbal theories about the emotion regulation selection process into formal mathematical language. Specifically, we focused on formally defining a theory that might help to explain the robust finding that people prefer distraction over reappraisal at high emotional intensities but prefer reappraisal over distraction at low emotional intensities. Through the process of theory formalization, we identified hidden assumptions and unanswered research questions, which resulted in a computational model that predicts results that match empirical work. This work demonstrates how theory formalization can accelerate theoretical and empirical progress in affective science. Better explanatory theories can then inform interventions designed to enhance the selection of adaptive regulation strategies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
{"title":"Emotion regulation, fast or slow: A computational model of strategy choice.","authors":"Jonas Petter, Ashish Mehta, Kate Petrova, Merel Kindt, Gal Sheppes, Jonas M B Haslbeck, James J Gross","doi":"10.1037/emo0001471","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001471","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Different emotion regulation strategies have very different consequences. This observation has inspired a growing body of work seeking to identify the factors that predict emotion regulation strategy choice. To explain these findings, several explanatory theories have been proposed. As with most theories in the field of affective science, they are formulated in natural language. Translating these theories into the language of mathematics may bring more clarity to the field and help generate new, testable hypotheses. The present article aimed to formulate more precise theoretical predictions by translating verbal theories about the emotion regulation selection process into formal mathematical language. Specifically, we focused on formally defining a theory that might help to explain the robust finding that people prefer distraction over reappraisal at high emotional intensities but prefer reappraisal over distraction at low emotional intensities. Through the process of theory formalization, we identified hidden assumptions and unanswered research questions, which resulted in a computational model that predicts results that match empirical work. This work demonstrates how theory formalization can accelerate theoretical and empirical progress in affective science. Better explanatory theories can then inform interventions designed to enhance the selection of adaptive regulation strategies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143442359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pascale Sophie Russell, Erica G Hepper, Fabio Fasoli, Aífe Hopkins-Doyle, Felien Boone
Expressing emotions within apologies can be important in facilitating forgiveness. We reviewed current evidence to uncover what types of emotional apologies have been studied, in terms of specific emotions expressed in apologies and in what contexts they have been examined. From this wider literature, we then conducted a meta-analysis (k = 22 studies) on the effect of emotional apologies compared to no-emotion expression or neutral states on levels of forgiveness. We found that expressing emotions can generally facilitate higher levels of forgiveness. However, it was evident that there has been a narrow range of emotions manipulated in past apology contexts and very little research comparing the impact of emotional apologies from differing perspectives (i.e., victims, perpetrators, and bystanders). The findings highlighted the need to expand and improve on how emotional apologies are studied and eventually delivered in reaction to societal events. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
{"title":"Examining the dynamic impact of emotional apologies on forgiveness.","authors":"Pascale Sophie Russell, Erica G Hepper, Fabio Fasoli, Aífe Hopkins-Doyle, Felien Boone","doi":"10.1037/emo0001504","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001504","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Expressing emotions within apologies can be important in facilitating forgiveness. We reviewed current evidence to uncover what types of emotional apologies have been studied, in terms of specific emotions expressed in apologies and in what contexts they have been examined. From this wider literature, we then conducted a meta-analysis (<i>k</i> = 22 studies) on the effect of emotional apologies compared to no-emotion expression or neutral states on levels of forgiveness. We found that expressing emotions can generally facilitate higher levels of forgiveness. However, it was evident that there has been a narrow range of emotions manipulated in past apology contexts and very little research comparing the impact of emotional apologies from differing perspectives (i.e., victims, perpetrators, and bystanders). The findings highlighted the need to expand and improve on how emotional apologies are studied and eventually delivered in reaction to societal events. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143442362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The topics of social belonging, meaning and purpose in life, and mental health have enduring significance, and our objective was to assess the efficacy of two values-affirmation (VA)-based interventions in forestalling critical psychological costs of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both were based on self-affirmation theory (Steele, 1988) and sought to help people stay connected with their core values during this stressful time. One intervention was a one-time VA activity in which participants wrote about important values and were reminded of the value of focusing on core values during uncertain times. A second, elaborated version further guided participants to incorporate brief, values-aligned daily activities. A longitudinal randomized controlled experiment conducted in the United States and Italy revealed an upward trend in social belonging and mental health among participants in the VA conditions-a surprising and positive outcome during a time of looming fear. The trajectories of social belonging and meaning were altered in the intervention conditions, yielding immediate benefits, while long-term benefits (4 weeks postintervention) on social belonging and mental health were confined to men, who experienced poorer psychological outcomes as the pandemic progressed. Additionally, socioeconomic status moderated intervention effects on social belonging, primarily benefitting participants of lower socioeconomic status. Surprisingly, culture and other risk factors (e.g., financial impact of COVID-19; living alone) did not moderate intervention effects. Discussion centers on how tailored VAs can interrupt a recursive cycle triggered by threats to self-integrity, and the potential of social psychologically informed interventions for enhancing belonging, meaning and mental health in face of acute stressors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
{"title":"Improving social belonging, meaning, and mental health during COVID-19: A self-affirmation approach.","authors":"Isabelle Q Tay, Geoffrey L Cohen","doi":"10.1037/emo0001498","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001498","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The topics of social belonging, meaning and purpose in life, and mental health have enduring significance, and our objective was to assess the efficacy of two values-affirmation (VA)-based interventions in forestalling critical psychological costs of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both were based on self-affirmation theory (Steele, 1988) and sought to help people stay connected with their core values during this stressful time. One intervention was a one-time VA activity in which participants wrote about important values and were reminded of the value of focusing on core values during uncertain times. A second, elaborated version further guided participants to incorporate brief, values-aligned daily activities. A longitudinal randomized controlled experiment conducted in the United States and Italy revealed an upward trend in social belonging and mental health among participants in the VA conditions-a surprising and positive outcome during a time of looming fear. The trajectories of social belonging and meaning were altered in the intervention conditions, yielding immediate benefits, while long-term benefits (4 weeks postintervention) on social belonging and mental health were confined to men, who experienced poorer psychological outcomes as the pandemic progressed. Additionally, socioeconomic status moderated intervention effects on social belonging, primarily benefitting participants of lower socioeconomic status. Surprisingly, culture and other risk factors (e.g., financial impact of COVID-19; living alone) did not moderate intervention effects. Discussion centers on how tailored VAs can interrupt a recursive cycle triggered by threats to self-integrity, and the potential of social psychologically informed interventions for enhancing belonging, meaning and mental health in face of acute stressors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143442363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}