Self-monitoring and the self-attribution of positive emotions.

This analysis of self-monitoring (SM) focuses on emotional self-regulation. Individuals temperamentally disposed to emotional reactivity and who experience inconsistent social outcomes for emotional expression may develop systems to separate their affective states from their behaviors. These systems produce high SM persons who are less responsive to their own immediate emotional reactions and more responsive to situational cues in guiding evaluation of emotion. Consequently, SM may be related positively to reliance on external cues in the self-attribution of emotion. Study 1 used the Valins heart-rate feedback paradigm and found that men's attraction to women was enhanced by increased bogus heart-rate feedback. Attraction was moderated by the men's SM. Study 2 used the Olson humor paradigm and found that ratings were affected by manipulating explanations of the effects of laugh tracks on humor. The effect was moderated in both men and women by SM. Results were discussed in terms of the emotional processes underlying SM and the self-evaluation of emotional experiences.