Automatic emotion regulation during anger provocation

Iris B. Mauss a,¤, Crystal L. Cook b, James J. Gross b
a Department of Psychology, University of Denver, 2155 South Race Street, Denver, CO 80208, USA
b Jordan Hall, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Received 16 December 2005; revised 27 July 2006
Abstract
Individuals frequently have to regulate their emotions, especially negative ones, to function successfully. However, deliberate emotion regulation can have signiWcant costs for the individual. Are there less costly ways to achieve emotion regulatory goals? In two studies, we test the hypothesis that more automatic types of emotion regulation might provide the beneWts of deliberate emotion regulation without the costs. Study 1 introduces a priming technique that manipulates automatic emotion regulation. Using this priming technique, we show that relative to priming emotion expression, priming emotion control leads to less anger experience in response to a laboratory anger provocation. Study 2 examines the experiential and physiological consequences of automatic emotion regulation. Results suggest that relative to priming emotion expression, priming emotion control reduces negative emotion experience without maladaptive cardiovascular responding. Together, these Wndings suggest that automatic emotion regulation may provide an eVective means of controlling powerful negative emotions. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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