The Effects of Emotion Suppression During Language Planning and Production

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (8) ◽  
pp. 2076-2083 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Roche ◽  
Hayley S. Arnold

Purpose Emotion regulation and language planning occur in parallel during interactive communication, but their processes are often studied separately. It has been suggested that emotion suppression and more complex language production both recruit cognitive resources. However, it is currently less clear how the language planning and production system is impacted when required to emotionally suppress outward displays of affect (i.e., expressive suppression). The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the interactive effects of emotion regulation and language production processes. Method Through discourse analysis of a corpus of interactive dialogue, we evaluated the production of interjections (i.e., also termed “filled pauses,” a type of speech disfluency) when participants regulated outward displays of emotion and when language was lexically complex (i.e., via lexical diversity). One participant (the sender) was assigned to either express or suppress affective displays during the interaction. The other person (the receiver) was given no special instructions before the interaction. The interactions were transcribed, and their linguistic content (i.e., lexical diversity, lexical alignment, and interjections) was analyzed. Results Results indicated that participants actively suppressing outward displays of affect produced more interjections and that participants asked to emotionally regulate, both expressors and suppressors, were more disfluent when producing lexically diverse statements (2 cognitively demanding tasks). Conclusions The current research provides support that, when suppressing emotion, one might be more disfluent when speaking. However, also when engaged in 2 simultaneous, demanding tasks of having to either upregulate or downregulate emotions and utter lexically diverse statements, the combined cognitive load may impede fluency in language production. More specifically, in the context of language planning and production, emotion suppression may pilfer resources away from the language planning and production system, leading to higher rates of disfluent speech. This finding is of particular importance because understanding the interactive effects of emotion and language production may be impactful to interventions for communication disorders.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 26-39
Author(s):  
M.A. Padun ◽  
E.A. Sorokko ◽  
E.A. Suchkova ◽  
D.V. Lucin

The article examines emotion sensitivity in policemen and its relationships with emotion suppression. It was hypothesized that individuals with high emotion suppression were less efficient in recognizing others’ negative emotions. Forty-nine policemen from the Arkhangelsk region of Russia aged from 22 to 50 took part in the study. Emotion sensitivity was measured presenting faces with dynamic changes in emotional expression from neutral to the one of four emotion categories, namely happiness, sadness, anger, and fear. Emotion suppression was measured with Gross’ Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Happiness was recognized faster and more accurately compared to negative emotions. Among negative emotions, the least intensity was needed for the recognition of fear, more intensity for the recognition of sadness, and even more for anger. Fear was recognized more accurately compared to anger; there was no difference in the accuracy of the recognition of fear and sadness. Individuals high in expressive suppression recognized happiness faster and mistook sadness for anger more often. The results are discussed in the context of the specific features of policemen professional activity.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Bahl ◽  
Allison Ouimet

Background and Objectives. Response-focused emotion regulation (RF-ER) strategies may alter people’s evoked emotions, influencing psychophysiology, memory accuracy, and affect. Researchers have found that participants engaging in expressive suppression (ES; a RF-ER strategy) experience increased sympathetic nervous system arousal, affect (i.e., higher subjective anxiety and negative emotion), and lowered memory accuracy. It is unclear, however, whether all RF-ER strategies exert maladaptive effects. Expressive dissonance (ED; displaying an expression opposite from how one feels) is a RF-ER strategy, and thus likely considered “maladaptive”. As outlined by the facial feedback hypothesis, however, smiling may increase positive emotion, suggesting it may be an adaptive strategy. We compared the effects of ED and ES to a control condition on psychophysiology, memory accuracy, and affect, to assess whether ED is an adaptive RF-ER strategy, relative to ES. Methods. We randomly assigned 144 female participants to engage in ED, ES, or to naturally observe, while viewing negative and arousing images. We recorded electrodermal activity and self-reported affect throughout the experiment and participants completed memory tasks. Results. There were no differences between groups across outcomes. Conclusion. Engaging in ES or ED may not lead to negative or positive impacts, shedding doubt on the common conclusion that specific strategies are categorically adaptive or maladaptive.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliana Silva ◽  
Teresa Freire ◽  
Susana Faria

AbstractA better understanding of emotion regulation (ER) within daily life is a growing focus of research. This study evaluated the average use of two ER strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and concurrent and lagged relationships between these two ER strategies and affect (positive and negative affect) in the daily lives of adolescents. We also investigated the role of the same strategies at the trait level on these within-person relationships. Thirty-three adolescents provided 1,258 reports of their daily life by using the Experience Sampling Method for one week. Regarding the relative use of ER strategies, cognitive reappraisal (M = 2.87, SD = 1.58) was used more often than expressive suppression (M = 2.42, SD = 1.21). While the use of both strategies was positively correlated when evaluated in daily life (p = .01), the same did not occur at the trait level (p = .37). Multilevel analysis found that ER strategies were concurrently related to affect (p < .01), with the exception of cognitive reappraisal-positive affect relationship (p = .11). However, cognitive reappraisal predicted higher positive affect at the subsequent sampling moment ( β = 0.07, p = .03). The concurrent associations between cognitive reappraisal and negative affect vary as function of the use of this strategy at the trait level (β = 0.05, p = .02). Our findings highlighted the complex associations between daily ER strategies and affect of a normative sample of adolescents.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 445-445
Author(s):  
E.A. Arens ◽  
N. Balkir ◽  
S. Barnow

IntroductionEmotion regulation (ER) via cognitive reappraisal (CR) has been shown to be superior to the use of expressive suppression (ES) in terms of several aspects of mental well-being. However, a cultural perspective suggests that the consequences of ES may be moderated by cultural values (Western/individualistic vs. Eastern/collectivistic values).ObjectiveTo test this hypothesis that ES may be associated with better outcomes in collectivistic cultures (e.g. Turkey) than in individualistic cultures (e.g. Germany) not only in healthy individuals but also in patients with mental disorders.AimThis study aims to gather knowledge to what extent associations of ER strategies and mental health are universal or rather culturally specific.MethodsWe investigated healthy (n = 30) and depressed (n = 30) German women and healthy (n = 30) and depressed (n = 30) Turkish immigrants living in Germany. Groups were compared in terms of frequency of ER strategies (CR and ES) and their consequences for different aspects of mental well-being.ResultsHealthy Turkish immigrants exhibited a greater ER flexibility (frequent use of ES plus frequent use of CR) what was associated with more positive outcomes of ES in Turkish than in German women. None of these differences were found between patient samples, both of which showed a greater use of ES than CR.ConclusionsResults suggest that cultural moderation of ES consequences are associated with a greater ER flexibility in healthy Turkish individuals. Depressed Turkish patients may not profit from ES due to their more rigid use of ES.


2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 650-666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grant A. Pignatiello ◽  
Ronald L. Hickman

Surrogate decision makers (SDMs) of the critically ill experience intense emotions and transient states of decision fatigue. These factors may increase the cognitive load experienced by electronic decision aids. This cross-sectional study explored the associations of emotion regulation (expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal) and decision fatigue with cognitive load (intrinsic and extraneous) among a sample of 97 SDMs of the critically ill. After completing subjective measures of emotion regulation and decision fatigue, participants were exposed to an electronic decision aid and completed a subjective measurement of cognitive load. Multiple regression analyses indicated that decision fatigue predicted intrinsic cognitive load and expressive suppression predicted extraneous cognitive load. Emotion regulation and decision fatigue represent modifiable determinants of cognitive load among SDMs exposed to electronic decision aids.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 321-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tierney P. McMahon ◽  
Kristin Naragon-Gainey

Existing structural analyses of emotion-regulation (ER) strategies have relied on retrospective, dispositional assessments, ignoring the within-person structure (i.e., intraindividual strategy groupings based on momentary covariances) and variability in strategy use across time and contexts. We conducted multilevel exploratory factor analyses on self-reported daily use of 11 strategies (i.e., acceptance, behavioral avoidance, distraction, experiential avoidance, expressive suppression, procrastination, reappraisal, reflection, rumination, savoring, social support) in clinical ( N = 129) and student ( N = 109) samples with intensive longitudinal designs. At the between-person level, two factors—Engagement and Avoidance—emerged in both samples. A different structure was found at the within-person level, with four factors in the student sample (i.e., Attentional Shift, Acceptance, Avoidance, Emotional Expression) and three in the clinical sample (i.e., Attentional Shift, Avoidance, Emotional Expression). The validity of these factors was examined via their associations with daily internalizing symptoms and affect. Implications for naturalistic ER strategy use and clinical assessment/intervention are discussed.


Author(s):  
Laura Antonia Lucia Parolin ◽  
Ilaria Maria Antonietta Benzi ◽  
Erika Fanti ◽  
Alberto Milesi ◽  
Pietro Cipresso ◽  
...  

The onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted individuals’ psychological wellbeing resulting in heightened perceived stress, anxiety, and depression. However, a significant issue in accessing psychological care during a lockdown is the lack of access to in-person interventions. In this regard, research has shown the efficacy and utility of psychological app-based interventions. ‘Italia Ti Ascolto’ (ITA) has been developed as a population tailored internet-based intervention to offer an online professional solution for psychological support needs. The ITA app is available on iOS and Android systems. Users completed a baseline assessment on emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), psychological stress, anxiety, depression, and perceived social support. Participants could select among several one-hour long clinical groups held by expert psychotherapists. After every session, people were asked to complete a quick users’ satisfaction survey. Our contribution presents ITA’s intervention protocol and discusses preliminary data on psychological variables collected at baseline. Data showed significant associations between emotion regulation strategies, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and level of stress. Moreover, the role of perceived social support is considered. Future developments and implications for clinical practice and treatment are discussed.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ray Norbury

Previous research has demonstrated a clear link between late chronotype and depression. The vulnerability factors underpinning this link, however, are unclear. Here the relationship between two specific emotion regulation strategies, cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, and chronotype was investigated using multiple regression. Two hundred and fourty participants (age range 18- 80, 189 females) completed validated self-report questionnaires assaying chronotype, neuroticism, depression symptomatology, sleep quality and emotion regulation. Eveningness was associated increased expressive suppression and morningness was associated with increased cognitive reappraisal after controlling for age, gender, depressive symptomatology, neuroticism and sleep quality. Trait expressive suppression and reduced cognitive reappraisal are known to increase depression risk. Our results suggest that eveningness is associated with impaired emotion regulation which may confer risk for future depression. These findings suggest modifiable markers that could be therapeutically targeted to prevent the onset of depression in late chronotype individuals.


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