Tuck Natalie L, Adams Kathryn S, Consedine Nathan S
Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
School of Medicine, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Br J Health Psychol. 2017 Sep;22(3):502-523. doi: 10.1111/bjhp.12242. Epub 2017 Apr 28.
The outward expression of emotion has been frequently associated with better health outcomes, whereas suppressing emotion is thought to contribute to worse physical health. However, work has typically focused on trait expressive tendencies and the possibility that individual differences in the ability to express specific emotions may also be associated with health has not been widely tested.
A cross-sectional study of community dwelling adults.
One hundred and twenty-eight participants aged 18-88 years completed questionnaires assessing demographics and health status, before attending a testing session in which resting heart rate variability (HRV) was assessed. Participants then completed a performance-based test of expressive regulatory skill in which they were instructed to enhance and suppress their emotional expressions while they watched film clips validated to elicit amusement, sadness, and anger. Participants rated subjective emotional experience before and after each clip, and their degree of expressivity was scored using FACS-based Noldus FaceReader.
Missing data resulted in a final sample size of 117. Linear regressions controlling for age, sex, diagnoses, and trait emotion revealed that greater ability to enhance sad expressions was associated with higher HRV while the ability to enhance expressions of joy was associated with lower symptom interference. In parallel models, the ability to flexibly regulate (both enhance and suppress) expressions of joy and sadness was also associated with lower symptom interference.
Findings suggest that the ability to regulate expressions of both sadness and joy is associated with health indices even when controlling for trait affect and potential confounds. The present findings offer early evidence that individual differences in the ability to regulate the outward expression of emotion may be relevant to health and suggest that expressive regulatory skills offer a novel avenue for research and intervention. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject The tendency to outwardly express felt emotion generally predicts better health, whereas expressive suppression typically predicts worse health outcomes. Most work has been based on trait assessments; however, the ability to regulate the expression of felt emotion can be objectively assessed using performance-based tests. Prior work in mental health suggests that the ability to flexibly up- and downregulate the expression of emotion predicts better outcomes. What does this study add The first evidence that the ability to flexibly regulate expressions predicts indices of health. Skill in both expressing and suppressing facial expressions predicts better reported health. Skills with different emotions differentially predict symptom interference and cardiac vagal tone.
情绪的外在表达常常与更好的健康结果相关，而抑制情绪则被认为会导致更差的身体健康状况。然而，以往的研究通常聚焦于特质性表达倾向，而个体在表达特定情绪能力上的差异是否也与健康有关，这一点尚未得到广泛验证。
一项针对社区居住成年人的横断面研究。
128名年龄在18至88岁之间的参与者完成了评估人口统计学和健康状况的问卷，之后参加了一次测试，在测试中评估静息心率变异性（HRV）。参与者随后完成了一项基于表现的表达调节技能测试，在观看经验证能引发愉悦、悲伤和愤怒情绪的电影片段时，他们被要求增强和抑制自己的情绪表达。参与者在每个片段前后对主观情绪体验进行评分，并使用基于面部动作编码系统（FACS）的Noldus FaceReader对面部表情的表现力进行评分。
缺失数据导致最终样本量为117。在控制年龄、性别、诊断和特质情绪的线性回归分析中发现，增强悲伤表情的能力越强，HRV越高；而增强愉悦表情的能力越强，症状干扰越低。在平行模型中，灵活调节（增强和抑制）愉悦和悲伤表情的能力也与较低的症状干扰相关。
研究结果表明，即使在控制特质情绪和潜在混杂因素的情况下，调节悲伤和愉悦表情的能力也与健康指标相关。目前的研究结果提供了早期证据，表明个体在调节情绪外在表达能力上的差异可能与健康有关，并表明表达调节技能为研究和干预提供了一条新途径。贡献声明关于该主题已知的信息：向外表达所感受到的情绪的倾向通常预示着更好的健康状况，而表达抑制通常预示着更差的健康结果。大多数研究基于特质评估；然而，调节所感受到的情绪表达的能力可以通过基于表现的测试进行客观评估。先前在心理健康方面的研究表明，灵活上调和下调情绪表达的能力预示着更好的结果。本研究增加了什么：第一个证据表明灵活调节表情的能力预示着健康指标。表达和抑制面部表情的技能预示着更好的健康报告。不同情绪的技能对症状干扰和心脏迷走神经张力有不同的预测作用。
