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Zsigo C, Greimel E, Primbs R, Bartling J, Schulte-Körne G, Feldmann L. Frontal alpha asymmetry during emotion regulation in adults with lifetime major depression. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2024; 24:552-566. [PMID: 38302819 PMCID: PMC11078823 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-024-01165-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
Emotion regulation (ER) often is impaired in current or remitted major depression (MD), although the extent of the deficits is not fully understood. Recent studies suggest that frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) could be a promising electrophysiological measure to investigate ER. The purpose of this study was to investigate ER differences between participants with lifetime major depression (lifetime MD) and healthy controls (HC) for the first time in an experimental task by using FAA. We compared lifetime MD (n = 34) and HC (n = 25) participants aged 18-24 years in (a) an active ER condition, in which participants were instructed to reappraise negative images and (b) a condition in which they attended to the images while an EEG was recorded. We also report FAA results from an independent sample of adolescents with current MD (n = 36) and HC adolescents (n = 38). In the main sample, both groups were able to decrease self-reported negative affect in response to negative images through ER, without significant group differences. We found no differences between groups or conditions in FAA, which was replicated within the independent adolescent sample. The lifetime MD group also reported less adaptive ER in daily life and higher difficulty of ER during the task. The lack of differences between in self-reported affect and FAA between lifetime MD and HC groups in the active ER task indicates that lifetime MD participants show no impairments when instructed to apply an adaptive ER strategy. Implications for interventional aspects are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Zsigo
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Nußbaumstr. 5, 80336, Munich, Germany.
| | - Ellen Greimel
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Nußbaumstr. 5, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Regine Primbs
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Nußbaumstr. 5, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Jürgen Bartling
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Nußbaumstr. 5, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Gerd Schulte-Körne
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Nußbaumstr. 5, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Lisa Feldmann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Nußbaumstr. 5, 80336, Munich, Germany
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2
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Perchtold-Stefan CM, Schertler M, Paechter M, Fink A, Weiss EM, Papousek I. Learning to be inventive in the face of statistics: A positive reappraisal intervention for statistics anxiety. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2024; 82:101913. [PMID: 37757655 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2023.101913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The burden of statistics anxiety on students calls for effective interventions. This study investigated whether a cognitive reappraisal training designed to stimulate the generation of positive re-interpretations may yield behavioral changes in anxiety measures and changes in cerebral activation patterns reflecting the activation of approach/avoidance motivational tendencies (frontal EEG alpha asymmetry response). METHODS Three groups of female psychology students (n = 45) with statistics anxiety were tested. Two groups received a guided, two-week reappraisal training with either statistics-anxiety or general anxiety situations; the control group received no intervention. RESULTS Both training groups significantly increased their amount of positive re-interpretations from pre-to post-test compared to the control group. Increased habitual use of reappraisal in statistics situations and significant EEG changes reflecting more approach-oriented coping with anxiety occurred in the statistics-anxiety training group only. No changes in statistics anxiety and statistics attitudes were observed, suggesting that the training effects, though corroborated through neurophysiological changes, did not sufficiently translate to improving students' deep-rooted anxiety. LIMITATIONS Effects, though robust and following the same pattern, were observed in a small sample. CONCLUSIONS Our findings delineate a promising expandable approach for helping students' cope with statistics anxiety in a healthier way.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Magdalena Schertler
- Center for Disability and Integration, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Manuela Paechter
- Educational Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria
| | - Andreas Fink
- Biological Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria
| | - Elisabeth M Weiss
- Clinical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Ilona Papousek
- Biological Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria
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3
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Zeier P, Sandner M, Wessa M. Regulating emotions with experience - the effectiveness of reappraisal inventiveness depends on situational familiarity. ANXIETY, STRESS, AND COPING 2024; 37:77-85. [PMID: 37075169 DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2023.2200999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Previous research identified cognitive reappraisal as an adaptive emotion regulation strategy. However, theories on emotion regulation flexibility suggest that reappraisal effectiveness (RE) may depend on an individual's familiarity with stressors. In this study, we expect high reappraisal inventiveness (RI), i.e., the generation of many and categorically different reappraisals, to increase RE for individuals with low situational familiarity. Individuals with high situational familiarity, however, would be more effective with low RI. DESIGN A total of 148 participants completed the Script-based Reappraisal Task, in which they were presented with fear- and anger-eliciting scripts. Depending on trial type, participants were instructed to reappraise (reappraisal-trial) or react naturally (control-trial) to the scripts. After each trial, participants indicated affective states and reappraisals. We assessed RI and calculated RE-scores as difference between affect ratings in reappraisal- and control-trials for valence and arousal. Finally, participants rated the familiarity with each situation. RESULTS The results indicated a significant moderating effect of situational familiarity on the relationship between RI and RE-valence (not RE-arousal). The moderation was mainly driven by a detrimental effect of RI for individuals with high situational familiarity. CONCLUSIONS Our results hint at the importance of individual experience with emotional content in the research of cognitive reappraisal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Zeier
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Magdalena Sandner
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Michèle Wessa
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Resilience (LIR), Mainz, Germany
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4
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Zouaoui I, Zellag M, Hernout J, Dumais A, Potvin S, Lavoie ME. Alpha and theta oscillations during the cognitive reappraisal of aversive pictures: A spatio-temporal qEEG investigation. Int J Psychophysiol 2023; 192:13-25. [PMID: 37490956 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2023.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Emotion regulation is a set of processes responsible for controlling, evaluating and adjusting reactions to achieve a goal. Results derived from magnetic resonance imaging agreed on the involvement of frontal and limbic structures in this process. Findings using cognition and physiology interactions are still scarce but suggest a role of alpha rhythm in emotional induction and for theta in regulation. OBJECTIVES AND HYPOTHESES Our goal was to investigate alpha and theta rhythm during the reappraisal of aversive stimuli. We hypothesized that an implication of alpha rhythm in emotional induction only and an increase in prefrontal theta rhythm positively correlated with successful regulation. METHOD Twenty-four healthy participants were recorded with 64 EEG electrodes while asked to watch or reappraise negative pictures passively. Theta and alpha rhythms were compared across maintain, decrease and increase regulation conditions, and a source localization estimated the generators. RESULTS Theta activity was consistently higher in the upregulation than in the maintenance condition (p = .04) for the entire control period, but mainly at the beginning of regulation (1-3 s) for low-theta and later (5-7 s) for high-theta. Moreover, our results confirm that a low-theta generator correlated with mainly the middle frontal gyrus and the anterior dorsal cingulate cortex during upregulation. Theta was sensitive to emotion upregulation, whereas the alpha oscillation was non-sensitive to emotion induction and regulation. CONCLUSION Theta rhythm was involved explicitly in emotion upregulation processes that occur at a definite time during reappraisal, whereas the alpha rhythm was not altered by emotion induction and regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inès Zouaoui
- Laboratoire de Psychophysiologie Cognitive et Sociale, Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Canada; Département de Psychiatrie et Addictologie, Université de Montréal, Canada.
| | - Meryem Zellag
- Laboratoire de Psychophysiologie Cognitive et Sociale, Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Canada; Département de Psychiatrie et Addictologie, Université de Montréal, Canada
| | - Julien Hernout
- Laboratoire de Psychophysiologie Cognitive et Sociale, Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Canada; Département de Psychiatrie et Addictologie, Université de Montréal, Canada
| | - Alexandre Dumais
- Laboratoire de Psychophysiologie Cognitive et Sociale, Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Canada; Département de Psychiatrie et Addictologie, Université de Montréal, Canada
| | - Stéphane Potvin
- Laboratoire de Psychophysiologie Cognitive et Sociale, Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Canada; Département de Psychiatrie et Addictologie, Université de Montréal, Canada
| | - Marc E Lavoie
- Laboratoire de Psychophysiologie Cognitive et Sociale, Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Canada; Département de Psychiatrie et Addictologie, Université de Montréal, Canada.
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Valesi R, Gabrielli G, Zito M, Bellati M, Bilucaglia M, Caponetto A, Fici A, Galanto A, Falcone MG, Russo V. From Coaching to Neurocoaching: A Neuroscientific Approach during a Coaching Session to Assess the Relational Dynamics between Coach and Coachee-A Pilot Study. Behav Sci (Basel) 2023; 13:596. [PMID: 37504044 PMCID: PMC10376351 DOI: 10.3390/bs13070596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Life transitions represent moments characterized by changes that can profoundly influence individual life trajectories and subjective well-being. Recently, career coaching has become an important method of helping people expand their self-awareness, facilitate personal development, and increase their performance in the school-to-work transition. Although previous studies have confirmed that one of the most important keys to the success of a coaching program is the quality of the relationship between coach and coachee, there is a lack of knowledge regarding how to objectively measure it. In this pilot study, we adopted a neuroscientific approach to introduce objective measures of the relationship between coach and coachee through the phases of a coaching session. A sample of 14 university students and a professional coach participated in career-coaching sessions while their affective states were measured by recording brain (EEG) and physiological (Skin conductance) activity. Electroencephalographic indicators of valence, arousal, and engagement showed differences between session phases, highlighting the possibility of a neurophysiological measurement of relational dynamics. Our results provide initial evidence that neurophysiological activity can be considered a way to understand differences in the coach-coachee relationship, thereby providing information on the effectiveness of coaching interventions and facilitating a better life transition from school to work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Valesi
- Department of Management, University of Bergamo, 24129 Bergamo, Italy
| | - Giorgio Gabrielli
- Department of Business, Law, Economics and Consumer Behaviour "Carlo A. Ricciardi", Università IULM, 20143 Milan, Italy
- Behavior and Brain Lab IULM-Neuromarketing Research Center, Università IULM, 20143 Milan, Italy
| | - Margherita Zito
- Department of Business, Law, Economics and Consumer Behaviour "Carlo A. Ricciardi", Università IULM, 20143 Milan, Italy
- Behavior and Brain Lab IULM-Neuromarketing Research Center, Università IULM, 20143 Milan, Italy
| | - Mara Bellati
- Behavior and Brain Lab IULM-Neuromarketing Research Center, Università IULM, 20143 Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Bilucaglia
- Department of Business, Law, Economics and Consumer Behaviour "Carlo A. Ricciardi", Università IULM, 20143 Milan, Italy
- Behavior and Brain Lab IULM-Neuromarketing Research Center, Università IULM, 20143 Milan, Italy
| | - Alessia Caponetto
- Behavior and Brain Lab IULM-Neuromarketing Research Center, Università IULM, 20143 Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Fici
- Department of Business, Law, Economics and Consumer Behaviour "Carlo A. Ricciardi", Università IULM, 20143 Milan, Italy
- Behavior and Brain Lab IULM-Neuromarketing Research Center, Università IULM, 20143 Milan, Italy
| | - Annarita Galanto
- Skillmatch-Insubria Group, Università Carlo Cattaneo-LIUC, 21053 Castellanza, Italy
| | | | - Vincenzo Russo
- Department of Business, Law, Economics and Consumer Behaviour "Carlo A. Ricciardi", Università IULM, 20143 Milan, Italy
- Behavior and Brain Lab IULM-Neuromarketing Research Center, Università IULM, 20143 Milan, Italy
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Andrews JL, Dalgleish T, Stretton J, Schweizer S. Reappraisal capacity is unrelated to depressive and anxiety symptoms. Sci Rep 2023; 13:7189. [PMID: 37138001 PMCID: PMC10156669 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33917-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Research suggests affective symptoms are associated with reduced habitual use of reappraisal as an emotion regulation strategy in individuals with mental health problems. Less is known, however, about whether mental health problems are related to reduced reappraisal capacity per se. The current study investigates this question using a film-based emotion regulation task that required participants to use reappraisal to downregulate their emotional response to highly evocative real-life film footage. We pooled data (N = 512, age: 18-89 years, 54% female) from 6 independent studies using this task. In contrast to our predictions, symptoms of depression and anxiety were unrelated to self-reported negative affect after reappraisal or to emotional reactivity to negative films. Implications for the measurement of reappraisal as well as future directions for research in the field of emotion regulation are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tim Dalgleish
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jason Stretton
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Susanne Schweizer
- School of Psychology, UNSW, Sydney, Australia.
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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7
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Meza-Cervera T, Kim-Spoon J, Bell MA. Adolescent Depressive Symptoms: The Role of Late Childhood Frontal EEG Asymmetry, Executive Function, and Adolescent Cognitive Reappraisal. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 2023; 51:193-207. [PMID: 36251139 PMCID: PMC9574846 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-022-00983-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive reappraisal is adaptive for decreasing symptoms of depression; however, a gap in the research is understanding the childhood processes that contribute to cognitive reappraisal in adolescence. This study examined executive function and frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry during late childhood as predictors of adolescent cognitive reappraisal and depressive symptoms. Data were from 123 participants in late childhood (age 10) and adolescence (age 14.5). A moderated mediation model was fit to the data to examine frontal EEG asymmetry as a moderator in the relation between late childhood inhibitory control and adolescent cognitive reappraisal as well as adolescent cognitive reappraisal and adolescent depressive symptoms. Results indicated lower inhibitory control was associated with lower cognitive reappraisal when children had right frontal EEG asymmetry. Lower cognitive reappraisal in turn was associated with higher depressive symptoms for children with right frontal EEG asymmetry. Working memory and cognitive flexibility were also examined but were not significant indicators. Results suggest the potential for targeting inhibitory control and cognitive reappraisal to diminish depressive symptoms particularly among adolescents with right frontal EEG asymmetry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Meza-Cervera
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, 890 Drillfield Dr., Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
| | - Jungmeen Kim-Spoon
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, 890 Drillfield Dr., Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Martha Ann Bell
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, 890 Drillfield Dr., Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
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8
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Resting-state BOLD temporal variability in sensorimotor and salience networks underlies trait emotional intelligence and explains differences in emotion regulation strategies. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15163. [PMID: 36071093 PMCID: PMC9452559 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19477-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
A converging body of behavioural findings supports the hypothesis that the dispositional use of emotion regulation (ER) strategies depends on trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) levels. Unfortunately, neuroscientific investigations of such relationship are missing. To fill this gap, we analysed trait measures and resting state data from 79 healthy participants to investigate whether trait EI and ER processes are associated to similar neural circuits. An unsupervised machine learning approach (independent component analysis) was used to decompose resting-sate functional networks and to assess whether they predict trait EI and specific ER strategies. Individual differences results showed that high trait EI significantly predicts and negatively correlates with the frequency of use of typical dysfunctional ER strategies. Crucially, we observed that an increased BOLD temporal variability within sensorimotor and salience networks was associated with both high trait EI and the frequency of use of cognitive reappraisal. By contrast, a decreased variability in salience network was associated with the use of suppression. These findings support the tight connection between trait EI and individual tendency to use functional ER strategies, and provide the first evidence that modulations of BOLD temporal variability in specific brain networks may be pivotal in explaining this relationship.
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9
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Rominger C, Gubler DA, Makowski LM, Troche SJ. More creative ideas are associated with increased right posterior power and frontal-parietal/occipital coupling in the upper alpha band: A within-subjects study. Int J Psychophysiol 2022; 181:95-103. [PMID: 36057407 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The neurophysiological investigation of creative idea generation is a growing research area. EEG studies congruently reported the sensitivity of upper alpha power (10-12 Hz) for the creative ideation process and its outcome. However, the majority of studies were between-subject design studies and research directly comparing the neurophysiological activation pattern when generating more and less creative ideas within a person are rare. Therefore, the present study was specifically focused on investigating brain activation patterns associated with the generation of more vs. less creative ideas. We applied an alternate uses task (AU-task; i.e., finding original uses for everyday objects such as a brick) in a sample of 74 participants and recorded the brain activation during the AU-task and reference period. A portable EEG system with 21 dry electrodes arranged in the international 10-20 system and linked ear as reference was used. We found a higher increase of upper alpha power during creative ideation (relative to reference period, i.e., task-related power, TRP) over right posterior sites when people generated more compared to less creative ideas. This was accompanied by an increase of functional coupling (i.e., task-related coherence increase) between frontal and parietal/occipital sites, which suggests higher internal attention and more control over sensory processes. Taken together, these findings complement the existing creativity research literature and indicate the importance of alpha power for the creative ideation process also within people.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lisa M Makowski
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Stefan J Troche
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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10
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Zhang Z, Meng J, Li Z, Sun Y, Li Y, Luo J. The role of creative cognitive reappraisals in positively transforming negative emotions. Psych J 2022; 11:837-851. [PMID: 36053876 DOI: 10.1002/pchj.589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies have found the connections between cognitive reappraisals' creativity and their regulatory efficacy. The present study proposed and tested a novel hypothesis on the function of cognitive reappraisals, especially creative ones. That is, whether they could positively alter negative emotional arousal toward unpleasant stimuli. To this end, two questions were investigated: (a) whether the creative reappraisals were more capable than ordinary ones of transforming the negative stimuli (pictures) to be perceived as positive, and (b) whether these two kinds of reappraisals made the "negative-to-positive transformation" through different mechanisms. To answer the first question, we examined the power of the creative and ordinary reappraisals in making the "negative-to-positive transformation" using an indirect and delayed "positive-or-negative" picture-sorting task (Exp. 1, n = 41 with a statistical power of 0.877), or using a direct and immediate subjective rating (Exp. 2, n = 31 with a statistical power of 0.768). To answer the second question, we checked how the factor of creativeness (creative vs. ordinary reappraisal) interacted with the factor of "timing" (simultaneous vs. delayed reappraisal delivery, Exp. 1), or with that of "dose" (one vs. three reappraisal applications; Exp. 2), in making the "negative-to-positive transformation," respectively, and examined if the variation of "timing" or "dose" factors would exert different effects on the creative and ordinary reappraisals' regulatory function. Our results generally proved that creative reappraisal was more capable of making the "negative-to-positive transformation" than the ordinary reappraisal, regardless of the direct and indirect emotion evaluation ratings as well as the variations in the timing and dose of reappraisal delivery. Moreover, we found that these two kinds of reappraisals could show dissociable dose-dependent effects (but not timing-dependent ones), thus partially implying that creative and ordinary reappraisal might make the "negative-to-positive transformation" through fundamentally different processes or mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ze Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Jianning Meng
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Ziyi Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yabing Sun
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yue Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Luo
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, China
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11
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Wang X, He Y, Feng Z. The antidepressant effect of cognitive reappraisal training on individuals cognitively vulnerable to depression: Could cognitive bias be modified through the prefrontal–amygdala circuits? Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:919002. [PMID: 35992951 PMCID: PMC9385997 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.919002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive reappraisal (CR) is one of the core treatment components of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and is the gold standard treatment for major depressive disorders. Accumulating evidence indicates that cognitive reappraisal could function as a protective factor of cognitive vulnerability to depression. However, the neural mechanism by which CR training reduces cognitive vulnerability to depression is unclear. There is ample evidence that the prefrontal–amygdala circuit is involved in CR. This study proposes a novel cognitive bias model of CR training which hypothesizes that CR training may improve the generation ability of CR with altered prefrontal–amygdala functional activation/connectivity, thus reducing negative cognitive bias (negative attention bias, negative memory bias, negative interpretation bias, and/or negative rumination bias) and alleviating depressive symptoms. This study aims to (1) explore whether there is abnormal CR strategy generation ability in individuals who are cognitively vulnerable to depression; (2) test the hypothesis that CR training alleviates depressive symptoms through the mediators of cognitive bias (interpretation bias and/or rumination bias); (3) explore the neural mechanism by which CR training may enhance the ability of CR strategy generation; and (4) examine the short- and long-term effects of CR training on the reduction in depressive symptoms in individuals who are cognitively vulnerable to depression following intervention and 6 months later. The study is promising, providing theoretical and practical evidence for the early intervention of depression-vulnerable individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxia Wang
- Department of Basic Psychology, School of Psychology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaoxia Wang,
| | - Ying He
- Department of Psychiatry, Second Affiliated Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zhengzhi Feng
- School of Psychology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Zhengzhi Feng,
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12
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Reappraisal-related downregulation of amygdala BOLD activation occurs only during the late trial window. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE, & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 22:777-787. [PMID: 34993926 PMCID: PMC9256861 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-021-00980-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
AbstractDuring cognitive reappraisal, an individual reinterprets the meaning of an emotional stimulus to regulate the intensity of their emotional response. Prefrontal cortex activity has been found to support reappraisal and is putatively thought to downregulate the amygdala response to these stimuli. The timing of these regulation-related responses during the course of a trial, however, remains poorly understood. In the current fMRI study, participants were instructed to view or reappraise negative images and then rate how negative they felt following each image. The hemodynamic response function was estimated in 11 regions of interest for the entire time course of the trial including image viewing and rating. Notably, within the amygdala there was no evidence of downregulation in the early (picture viewing) window of the trial, only in the late (rating) window, which also correlated with a behavioral measure of reappraisal success. With respect to the prefrontal regions, some (e.g., inferior frontal gyrus) showed reappraisal-related activation in the early window, whereas others (e.g., middle frontal gyrus) showed increased activation primarily in the late window. These results highlight the temporal dynamics of different brain regions during emotion regulation and suggest that the amygdala response to negative images need not be immediately dampened to achieve successful cognitive reappraisal.
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13
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Zeier P, Meine LE, Wessa M. It's worth the trouble: Stressor exposure is related to increased cognitive reappraisal ability. Stress Health 2022; 38:602-609. [PMID: 34623727 DOI: 10.1002/smi.3101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Recent theories propose moderate (compared to high or no) stressor exposure to promote emotion regulation capacities. More precisely, stressful situations are expected to serve as practice opportunities for cognitive reappraisal (CR), that is, the reinterpretation of a situation to alter its emotional impact. Accordingly, in this study, we expect an inverted U-shaped relationship between exposure to daily hassles and performance in a CR task, that is, best reappraisal ability in individuals with a history of moderate stressor exposure. Participants (N = 165) reported the number of daily hassles during the last week as indicator of stressor exposure and completed the Script-based Reappraisal Test (SRT). In the SRT, participants are presented with fear-eliciting scripts and instructed to either downregulate negative affect via reappraisal (reappraisal-trials) or react naturally (control-trials). Two measures indicate CR ability: (1) reappraisal effectiveness, that is, the difference between affective ratings in reappraisal- and control-trials and (2) reappraisal inventiveness, that is, the number of valid and categorically different reappraisal thoughts. Multiple regression analyses revealed positive linear, but not quadratic, relationships of exposure to daily hassles and both indicators of CR ability. Potential benefits of stressor exposure for emotion regulation processes are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Zeier
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Germany
| | - Laura E Meine
- Leibniz Institute of Resilience (LIR), Mainz, Germany
| | - Michèle Wessa
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Germany.,Leibniz Institute of Resilience (LIR), Mainz, Germany
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14
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Sabu P, Stuldreher IV, Kaneko D, Brouwer AM. A Review on the Role of Affective Stimuli in Event-Related Frontal Alpha Asymmetry. FRONTIERS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fcomp.2022.869123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Frontal alpha asymmetry refers to the difference between the right and left alpha activity over the frontal brain region. Increased activity in the left hemisphere has been linked to approach motivation and increased activity in the right hemisphere has been linked to avoidance or withdrawal. However, research on alpha asymmetry is diverse and has shown mixed results, which may partly be explained by the potency of the used stimuli to emotionally and motivationally engage participants. This review gives an overview of the types of affective stimuli utilized with the aim to identify which stimuli elicit a strong approach-avoidance effect in an affective context. We hope this contributes to better understanding of what is reflected by alpha asymmetry, and in what circumstances it may be an informative marker of emotional state. We systematically searched the literature for studies exploring event-related frontal alpha asymmetry in affective contexts. The search resulted in 61 papers, which were categorized in five stimulus categories that were expected to differ in their potency to engage participants: images & sounds, videos, real cues, games and other tasks. Studies were viewed with respect to the potency of the stimuli to evoke significant approach-avoidance effects on their own and in interaction with participant characteristics or condition. As expected, passively perceived stimuli that are multimodal or realistic, seem more potent to elicit alpha asymmetry than unimodal stimuli. Games, and other stimuli with a strong task-based component were expected to be relatively engaging but approach-avoidance effects did not seem to be much clearer than the studies using perception of videos and real cues. While multiple factors besides stimulus characteristics determine alpha asymmetry, and we did not identify a type of affective stimulus that induces alpha asymmetry highly consistently, our results indicate that strongly engaging, salient and/or personally relevant stimuli are important to induce an approach-avoidance effect.
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15
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Guo XD, Wang Y, Chan RCK. Mediating role of emotion regulation in the relationship between schizotypy and empathy. Psych J 2022; 11:335-343. [PMID: 35437901 DOI: 10.1002/pchj.551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Schizotypy is a set of personality traits existing in the general population that represents vulnerability for developing psychosis. Previous studies have suggested that negative schizotypy correlates with empathy, but mixed results have been shown for positive schizotypy. The present study aimed to explore the potential mediating role of emotion regulation upon schizotypy and empathy. The valid sample consisted of 595 college students who completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and the Chapman Psychosis Proneness Scales. Pearson correlations between schizotypy, emotion regulation, and empathy were performed to build potential mediating models. Structural equation modeling and bootstrap analyses were used to examine the mediation effects of emotion regulation. Our results showed that negative schizotypy was correlated with both cognitive and affective empathy whereas positive schizotypy only correlated with the Fantasy and Personal Distress subscales after multiple comparisons corrections. The Cognitive Reappraisal subscale of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire was positively correlated with empathy whereas the Expressive Suppression subscale was negatively associated with affective empathy. More importantly, there was a significant mediating effect of cognitive reappraisal on the relationship between negative schizotypy and cognitive empathy. Our findings suggest that a higher level of negative schizotypy is associated with poorer cognitive and affective empathy, and cognitive reappraisal may mediate the effect of negative schizotypy on cognitive empathy. These findings highlight the optimal usage of cognitive reappraisal in social interactions, and may help to improve empathy, especially for individuals with a high level of negative schizotypy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Dong Guo
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Wang
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Raymond C K Chan
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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16
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Berretz G, Packheiser J, Wolf OT, Ocklenburg S. Acute stress increases left hemispheric activity measured via changes in frontal alpha asymmetries. iScience 2022; 25:103841. [PMID: 35198894 PMCID: PMC8850739 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.103841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Frontal EEG alpha band asymmetries have been linked to affective processing in healthy individuals and affective disorders. As stress provides a strong source of negative affect, the present study investigated how acute stress affects frontal EEG alpha asymmetries. Continuous EEG data were acquired from 51 healthy adult participants during stress induction with the Trier Social Stress Test. EEG data were also collected during a non-stressful control condition. Furthermore, EEG resting state data were acquired after both conditions. Under stress, participants showed stronger left hemispheric activation over frontal electrodes as well as reduced left-hemispheric activation over occipital electrodes compared to the control condition. Our results are in line with predictions of the asymmetric inhibition model which postulates that the left prefrontal cortex inhibits negative distractors. Moreover, the results support the capability model of emotional regulation which states that frontal asymmetries during emotional challenge are more pronounced compared to asymmetries during rest. EEG recording during social stress induction Stronger left hemispheric frontal activation during emotional challenge No stress-related changes in resting state EEG after stress induction Support for asymmetric inhibition and the capability model of emotional regulation
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Affiliation(s)
- Gesa Berretz
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Room: IB 6/109, 44780 Bochum, Germany
- Corresponding author
| | - Julian Packheiser
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Social Brain Lab, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Oliver T. Wolf
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Sebastian Ocklenburg
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Room: IB 6/109, 44780 Bochum, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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17
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Perchtold-Stefan CM, Papousek I, Rominger C, Fink A. Creativity in an Affective Context. EUROPEAN PSYCHOLOGIST 2021. [DOI: 10.1027/1016-9040/a000448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. Everyday life often requires considerable creativity in dealing with challenging circumstances. This implies that creativity regularly operates in an affective context, however, this “C” of creativity is rarely addressed in contemporary research. In this brief review article, we address some important milestones in this nascent field of research. Starting with early accounts on emotional creativity, we discuss seminal research intertwining creativity and mood states, and finally introduce two recent developments in this field: reappraisal inventiveness as the capacity to generate manifold cognitive reappraisals for aversive situations, and malevolent creativity as creative ideation intentionally used to damage others. We discuss the conceptual origins of reappraisal inventiveness and malevolent creativity and provide an extensive review of past behavioral and neuroscientific findings regarding these differently motivated instances of affective creativity. Additionally, novel pilot findings and prospects on both lines of research will be provided, which may help to advance investigations into more real-world applications of creative cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Andreas Fink
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria
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18
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Zerna J, Strobel A, Scheffel C. EEG microstate analysis of emotion regulation reveals no sequential processing of valence and emotional arousal. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21277. [PMID: 34711877 PMCID: PMC8553854 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00731-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In electroencephalography (EEG), microstates are distributions of activity across the scalp that persist for several tens of milliseconds before changing into a different pattern. Microstate analysis is a way of utilizing EEG as both temporal and spatial imaging tool, but has rarely been applied to task-based data. This study aimed to conceptually replicate microstate findings of valence and emotional arousal processing and investigate the effects of emotion regulation on microstates, using data of an EEG paradigm with 107 healthy adults who actively viewed emotional pictures, cognitively detached from them, or suppressed facial reactions. Within the first 600 ms after stimulus onset only the comparison of viewing positive and negative pictures yielded significant results, caused by different electrodes depending on the microstate. Since the microstates associated with more and less emotionally arousing pictures did not differ, sequential processing could not be replicated. When extending the analysis to 2000 ms after stimulus onset, differences were exclusive to the comparison of viewing and detaching from negative pictures. Intriguingly, we observed the novel phenomenon of a microstate difference that could not be attributed to single electrodes. This suggests that microstate analysis can detect differences beyond those detected by event-related potential analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josephine Zerna
- Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Alexander Strobel
- Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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19
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Perchtold-Stefan CM, Fink A, Rominger C, Papousek I. Failure to reappraise: Malevolent creativity is linked to revenge ideation and impaired reappraisal inventiveness in the face of stressful, anger-eliciting events. ANXIETY, STRESS, AND COPING 2021; 34:437-449. [PMID: 33899626 PMCID: PMC8367047 DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2021.1918682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Background and objectives: The complexities of daily life often necessitate creative ideas to successfully cope with negative social situations. This study investigated the relationship of two types of creativity that may be elicited by similar contexts but are associated with different goals and impact of ideas: reappraisal inventiveness (the capability to generate manifold reappraisals for negative situations) and malevolent creativity, capturing the inventiveness in intentionally harming others.Design and methods: In 73 women, these variables were assessed by performance tests depicting real-life, anger-eliciting situations. Additionally, participants reported their trait anger and depressive symptoms.Results: Inventiveness (ideational fluency) was positively correlated between the two tasks, probably indicating shared divergent thinking demands. A more intricate pattern emerged for quality aspects of generated ideas. Participants inventing particularly harmful ideas for damaging others generated fewer valid reappraisals and displayed less problem-oriented thinking during reappraisal. Greater inventiveness in damaging others was linked to more revenge-related ideation during reappraisal attempts, which also correlated with self-reported depressive symptoms.Conclusions: A higher capacity for malevolent ideation may potentially hamper successful coping with stressful, anger-eliciting events and, as a result, may advance an adverse spiral of reinforcement. Considering these links may help tailor psychotherapeutic interventions to individuals' specific predispositions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andreas Fink
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, AUT
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20
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Perchtold-Stefan CM, Fink A, Bauer JF, Rominger C, Papousek I. High avoidance and low approach motivation affect cognitive reappraisal generation in the face of anger. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 42:5793-5803. [PMID: 36987512 PMCID: PMC10039092 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-021-01917-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThis study investigates the link between the revised reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST) and individuals’ capacity to spontaneously invent alternate appraisals for aversive events. Eighty-two women completed the Reappraisal Inventiveness Test for anger-eliciting situations, and quantity and quality of reappraisal ideas were correlated with BIS, BAS, and FFFS sensitivity (RST-Personality Questionnaire). Results revealed that high BIS and high FFFS reduced the total number of reappraisal ideas, indicating that combined heightened sensitivity of the two avoidance systems may deplete individuals’ repertoire of potential reappraisals. RST effects on the quality of generated reappraisals were also found. High BIS and low BAS lowered individuals’ propensity to produce positive re-interpretations, which are considered a more adaptive reappraisal tactic. High FFFS sensitivity was linked to a lower preference for problem-oriented reappraisals. This study underlines that certain interactions of motivational subsystems may be particularly detrimental for successful reappraisal of anger-eliciting events. Our findings reveal potential links between revised RST effects and adaptive emotion regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andreas Fink
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Jonathan F. Bauer
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Christian Rominger
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Ilona Papousek
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria
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21
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Haehl W, Mirifar A, Quirin M, Beckmann J. Differentiating reactivity and regulation: Evidence for a role of prefrontal asymmetry in affect regulation. Biol Psychol 2021; 162:108107. [PMID: 33933555 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Prefrontal asymmetry (PFA) has originally been referred to as "affective style" and is said to be associated with an individual's personality. Therefore, previous research has focused on finding a link between PFA and trait variables associated with affective processing, such as the behavioral activation and inhibition systems (BAS/BIS). However, recent evidence suggests that PFA might be involved in regulatory processes rather than initial affective reactions. Here, we investigated if failure-related action orientation (AOF), as a personality variable reflecting the ability to disengage from negative experiences, is related to PFA. Forty-seven participants completed two trait questionnaires to assess BAS/BIS and AOF, followed by 8 min of resting EEG measurement. Results showed that higher AOF scores predicted a higher relative left-hemispheric PFA when BAS/BIS was controlled for. The findings suggest that a suppression effect might account for the inconsistencies in the literature regarding the association between PFA and BAS/BIS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wiebke Haehl
- Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Chair of Sport Psychology, Technical University of Munich, Germany.
| | - Arash Mirifar
- Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Chair of Sport Psychology, Technical University of Munich, Germany.
| | - Markus Quirin
- School of Management, Chair of Psychology, Technical University of Munich, Germany; Personality Psychology and Motivation, Private University of Applied Science, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Jürgen Beckmann
- Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Chair of Sport Psychology, Technical University of Munich, Germany; School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia.
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22
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Sandner M, Zeier P, Lois G, Wessa M. Cognitive emotion regulation withstands the stress test: An fMRI study on the effect of acute stress on distraction and reappraisal. Neuropsychologia 2021; 157:107876. [PMID: 33930388 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive emotion regulation is a key mechanism for the maintenance of mental health, but may fail, when individuals are exposed to acute stress. To date, it is not well understood whether and to what extent acute stress effects contribute to impairments in emotion regulation capacities as the sparse existing studies have yielded heterogeneous results, indicating that stress timing might be a crucial factor. In the present study, 81 healthy participants underwent either an acute stress task (ScanSTRESS-C; n = 40) or a control condition (n = 41) while lying in the MRI scanner. In the subsequent Cognitive Emotion Regulation Task (CERT), participants were confronted with neutral or negative pictures and instructed to either view them, or regulate their upcoming emotions using either distraction or reappraisal. Subjective ratings of affective state as well as functional brain imaging data served to indicate emotion regulation. The results showed a successful stress manipulation as indicated by group differences in subjective wellbeing, saliva cortisol concentrations, heart rate, and functional brain activity in regions implicated in stress processing. With respect to emotion regulation, CERT data revealed a significant regulation effect at the neural and behavioral level (less negative emotional ratings after reappraisal and distraction trials compared to view trials) in both groups. However, no significant group differences were observed, neither in BOLD responses to the CERT, nor in behavioral ratings. Contrary to previous studies, our study did not reveal further evidence of stress-related effects on emotion regulation, potentially being related to differences between studies in experimental setting, timing, and procedures. This study therefore underlines the need of future studies that disentangle the complex interplay of stress and emotion regulation and identify different factors influencing their bidirectional relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Sandner
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Peter Zeier
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Giannis Lois
- Department of Microeconomics and Public Economics, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University, the Netherlands
| | - Michèle Wessa
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany; Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), Research Group Wessa, Mainz, Germany.
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23
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Hiebler-Ragger M, Perchtold-Stefan CM, Unterrainer HF, Fuchshuber J, Koschutnig K, Nausner L, Kapfhammer HP, Papousek I, Weiss EM, Fink A. Lower cognitive reappraisal capacity is related to impairments in attachment and personality structure in poly-drug use: an fMRI study. Brain Imaging Behav 2021; 15:2187-2198. [PMID: 33222012 PMCID: PMC8413209 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-020-00414-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Insecure attachment, impaired personality structure and impaired emotion regulation figure prominently in substance use disorders. While negative emotions can trigger drug-use and relapse, cognitive reappraisal may reduce emotional strain by promoting changes in perspective. In the present study, we explored behavioral and neural correlates of cognitive reappraisal in poly-drug use disorder by testing individuals' capability to generate cognitive reappraisals for aversive events (Reappraisal Inventiveness Test). 18 inpatients with poly-drug use disorder and 16 controls completed the Adult Attachment Scale, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Brief Symptom Inventory, the Wonderlic Personnel Test, and the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis Structure Questionnaire, as well as two versions of the Reappraisal Inventiveness Test (during fMRI and outside the lab). Compared to controls, polydrug inpatients reported impaired personality structure, attachment and emotion regulation abilities. In the Reappraisal Inventiveness Test, poly-drug inpatients were less flexible and fluent in generating reappraisals for anger-eliciting situations. Corresponding to previous brain imaging evidence, cognitive reappraisal efforts of both groups were reflected in activation of left frontal regions, particularly left superior and middle frontal gyri and left supplemental motor areas. However, no group differences in neural activation patterns emerged. This suggests that despite cognitive reappraisal impairments on a behavioral level, neural reflections of these deficits in poly-drug use disorder might be more complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Hiebler-Ragger
- University Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University, Auenbruggerplatz 31, 8036, Graz, Austria ,Center for Integrative Addiction Research (CIAR), Grüner Kreis Society, Simmeringer Hauptstraße 101, 1110 Vienna, Austria
| | | | - H. F. Unterrainer
- University Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University, Auenbruggerplatz 31, 8036, Graz, Austria ,Center for Integrative Addiction Research (CIAR), Grüner Kreis Society, Simmeringer Hauptstraße 101, 1110 Vienna, Austria ,Department of Religious Studies, University of Vienna, Schenkenstraße 8-10, 1010 Vienna, Austria
| | - J. Fuchshuber
- University Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University, Auenbruggerplatz 31, 8036, Graz, Austria ,Center for Integrative Addiction Research (CIAR), Grüner Kreis Society, Simmeringer Hauptstraße 101, 1110 Vienna, Austria
| | - K. Koschutnig
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - L. Nausner
- Fachsektion Integrative Gestalttherapie, Österreichischer Arbeitskreis für Gruppentherapie und Gruppendynamik, Lenaugasse 3, 1080 Vienna, Austria
| | - H. P. Kapfhammer
- University Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University, Auenbruggerplatz 31, 8036, Graz, Austria ,Department of Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 43, 8036, Graz, Austria
| | - I. Papousek
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - E. M. Weiss
- Institute of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52f, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - A. Fink
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria
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24
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Keller M, Zweerings J, Klasen M, Zvyagintsev M, Iglesias J, Mendoza Quiñones R, Mathiak K. fMRI Neurofeedback-Enhanced Cognitive Reappraisal Training in Depression: A Double-Blind Comparison of Left and Right vlPFC Regulation. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:715898. [PMID: 34497546 PMCID: PMC8419460 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.715898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Affective disorders are associated with maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. In particular, the left more than the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) may insufficiently regulate emotion processing, e.g., in the amygdala. A double-blind cross-over study investigated NF-supported cognitive reappraisal training in major depression (n = 42) and age- and gender-matched controls (n = 39). In a randomized order, participants trained to upregulate either the left or the right vlPFC during cognitive reappraisal of negative images on two separate days. We wanted to confirm regional specific NF effects with improved learning for left compared to right vlPFC (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03183947). Brain responses and connectivity were studied with respect to training progress, gender, and clinical outcomes in a 4-week follow-up. Increase of vlPFC activity was stronger after NF training from the left- than the right-hemispheric ROI. This regional-specific NF effect during cognitive reappraisal was present across patients with depression and controls and supports a central role of the left vlPFC for cognitive reappraisal. Further, the activity in the left target region was associated with increased use of cognitive reappraisal strategies (r = 0.48). In the 4-week follow-up, 75% of patients with depression reported a successful application of learned strategies in everyday life and 55% a clinically meaningful symptom improvement suggesting clinical usability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micha Keller
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, School of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Jana Zweerings
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, School of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Martin Klasen
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, School of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.,Interdisciplinary Training Centre for Medical Education and Patient Safety-AIXTRA, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Mikhail Zvyagintsev
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, School of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Jorge Iglesias
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Cuban Center for Neuroscience, Havana, Cuba
| | | | - Klaus Mathiak
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, School of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.,JARA-Brain, Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany
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25
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The effectiveness of emotion cognitive reappraisal as measured by self-reported response and its link to EEG alpha asymmetry. Behav Brain Res 2020; 400:113042. [PMID: 33279642 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.113042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive reappraisal is an important emotion regulation skill for psychological health and well-being, however, some people cannot use this strategy effectively. We investigated EEG alpha asymmetry by calculating lateral index (LI) when twenty-six healthy participants were instructed to complete the emotion cognitive reappraisal task of viewing neutral pictures, watching negative pictures and reappraising negative pictures. According to self-reported valence and arousal, the participants were divided into effective and ineffective groups. Habitual use of rumination was also assessed using the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ). EEG alpha asymmetry results demonstrated that, ineffective group showed greater relative right temporal activity than effective group in the early stage of reappraisal, indicating higher subjective arousal. Both groups showed greater relative left frontal alpha activity in the late stages of reappraisal compared with watching negative images, indicating the recruitment of corresponding functions in prefrontal regulatory circuitry during the effort of reappraisal. CERQ analysis results showed that, ineffective group got significantly higher score than effective group in habitual use of rumination. Partial correlation revealed that, in male participants, temporal LI change (negative-reappraisal minus negative-watch) was negatively correlated with self-reported arousal and habitual use of rumination. In addition, by using K-means cluster analysis, temporal LI combined with CERQ-rumination score achieved a classification accuracy of 84.6 %. These findings suggested that, EEG alpha asymmetry as well as the habitual use of rumination accounted for the reappraisal effectiveness.
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David OA, Canta A, Salagean I, Valenza G, Mennin DS. The phobic applying for a job: Differential efficacy of reappraising or faking on subjective states, physiological reactions and performance. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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27
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Wang Y, Shangguan C, Gu C, Hu B. Individual Differences in Negative Emotion Differentiation Predict Resting-State Spontaneous Emotional Regulatory Processes. Front Psychol 2020; 11:576119. [PMID: 33244304 PMCID: PMC7684205 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.576119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Negative emotion differentiation facilitates emotion regulation. However, whether individual differences in negative emotion differentiation is associated with resting-state spontaneous emotion regulation remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the effect of individual differences in negative emotion differentiation on spontaneous emotional regulatory processes as indexed by resting electroencephalogram (EEG) indicators (e.g., frontal alpha asymmetry and theta/beta ratio). Participants (n = 40, Mage = 21.74 years, 62% women) completed a negative emotion differentiation task. Afterward, 4 min of resting EEG data were recorded. Multiple regression results showed that negative emotion differentiation significantly predicted the alpha asymmetry at electrode pairs (F4–F3 and FP2–FP1) and the theta/beta ratio at the F3 and FZ electrode sites. Individuals with high negative emotion differentiation presented more left-lateralized activations and a lower theta/beta ratio. Taken together, these results suggest that individuals with high negative emotion differentiation show enhanced spontaneous emotional regulatory functioning. Thus, we provided the first resting-state neural evidence on emotion differentiation of spontaneous emotional regulatory functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yali Wang
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chenyu Shangguan
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chuanhua Gu
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Biying Hu
- School of Education, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau, China
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Deng Y, Hou L, Chen X, Zhou R. Working memory training improves emotion regulation in drug abstainers: Evidence from frontal alpha asymmetry. Neurosci Lett 2020; 742:135513. [PMID: 33227369 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2020] [Revised: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Drug addiction has been associated with unsuccessful emotion regulation, which can be improved by working memory training (WMT) in healthy populations. This study aimed to assess the effect of WMT on emotion regulation in drug abstainers. We divided 40 male drug abstainers into two groups: (i) the training group (n=20) participated in a running memory task for 20 days, and (ii) the control group (n=20) did not participate in any training task. We assessed the emotion regulation questionnaire (ERQ) and frontal electroencephalographic (EEG) activity while viewing pictures (including neutral, positive, negative and drug-related contents) for all participants before and after the training. After WMT for 20 days, the training group adopted more spontaneous emotion regulation strategies compared with control group. The asymmetry scores of training group improved while viewing negative and drug-related pictures compared to pretest, which suggests that they converted from right-brain asymmetry to left-brain asymmetry. However, the control group declined both in the ERQ scores and the asymmetry scores. These results suggest that WMT improves the emotion regulation of drug abstainers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaling Deng
- Neuroscience and Intelligent Media Institute, Communication University of China, Beijing, 100024, China; State Key Laboratory of Media Convergence and Communication, Communication University of China, Beijing, 100024, China
| | - Lulu Hou
- Department of Psychology, School of Social and Behavior Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Department of Psychology, School of Education, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, 200234, China
| | - Xiaoying Chen
- Department of Psychology, School of Social and Behavior Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Renlai Zhou
- Department of Psychology, School of Social and Behavior Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
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Haehl W, Mirifar A, Luan M, Beckmann J. Dealing with failure: Prefrontal asymmetry predicts affective recovery and cognitive performance. Biol Psychol 2020; 155:107927. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2020.107927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Creativity is associated with a characteristic U-shaped function of alpha power changes accompanied by an early increase in functional coupling. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 19:1012-1021. [PMID: 30756348 PMCID: PMC6711878 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-019-00699-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Although there exists increasing knowledge about brain correlates underlying creative ideation in general, the specific neurocognitive mechanisms implicated in different stages of the creative thinking process are still under-researched. Some recent EEG studies suggested that alpha power during creative ideation varies as a function of time, with the highest levels of alpha power after stimulus onset and at the end of the creative thinking process. The main aim of the present study was to replicate and extend this finding by applying an individual differences approach, and by investigating functional coupling between long distance cortical sites during the process of creative ideation. Eighty-six participants performed the Alternate Uses (AU) task during EEG assessment. Results revealed that more original people showed increased alpha power after stimulus onset and before finalizing the process of idea generation. This U-shaped alpha power pattern was accompanied by an early increase in functional communication between frontal and parietal-occipital sites during the creative thinking process, putatively indicating activation of top-down executive control processes. Participants with lower originality showed no significant time-related variation in alpha power and a delayed increase in long distance functional communication. These findings are in line with dual process models of creative ideation and support the idea that increased alpha power at the beginning of the creative ideation process may indicate more associative modes of thinking and memory processes, while the alpha increases at later stages may indicate executive control processes, associated with idea elaboration/evaluation.
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31
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Perchtold‐Stefan CM, Fink A, Rominger C, Weiss EM, Papousek I. More habitual physical activity is linked to the use of specific, more adaptive cognitive reappraisal strategies in dealing with stressful events. Stress Health 2020; 36:274-286. [PMID: 31957957 PMCID: PMC7497133 DOI: 10.1002/smi.2929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Revised: 12/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Physical activity may improve stress resilience and well-being. However, specific links to individuals' coping abilities with stressful events are sparse. This study tested whether individuals reporting more physical activity in daily life showed a higher capacity for cognitive reappraisal in dealing with potential stressors. Ninety-eight participants reported their regular physical activity in the Freiburger Questionnaire on Physical Activity and completed a maximum performance test of their inventiveness in generating reappraisals for situations depicting real-life stressors. The latter provides scores for overall cognitive reappraisal capacity (quantity of ideas) and preference for specific cognitive reappraisal strategies (quality of ideas; positive reinterpretation; problem-oriented, de-emphasizing reappraisals). Additionally, participants' anxious and depressive dispositions and general creative abilities were assessed. Results showed no association between time spent on physical activities per week and total quantity of generated reappraisal ideas. However, a higher degree of physical activity was specifically linked to a greater relative preference for the reappraisal strategy of positive reinterpretation. Opposite associations emerged for the strategy of de-emphasizing reappraisals. The findings support the notion of more adaptive cognitive reappraisal use in more physically active individuals and may advance research on interrelationships between physical activity and cognitive and affective functions implicated in stress management.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andreas Fink
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of GrazGrazAustria
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Liu L, Zhou R. The Functional Role of Individual Alpha-Based Frontal Asymmetry in the Processing of Fearful Faces. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1412. [PMID: 32714247 PMCID: PMC7344262 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to quickly identify fearful faces is important for the activation of defense mechanisms that allow an individual to deal with potential emergencies. This study examined the relationship between frontal electroencephalography (EEG) alpha asymmetry and the processing of congruent and incongruent fearful faces among female participants using event-related potentials (ERPs). Behavioral results showed that individuals with more left frontal EEG alpha asymmetry had shorter response times than individuals with more right frontal EEG alpha asymmetry during the cue-target task. ERP results indicated that, for individuals with more left frontal EEG alpha asymmetry, enhanced N1 reflected more rapid processing of emotional faces in the early stage, and enhanced P3 indicated that these individuals directed more attentional and motivational resources to the evaluation of emotional faces in the late stage. For individuals with more right frontal EEG alpha asymmetry, enhanced N2 indicated that these individuals experienced more conflict for incongruent fearful faces in the late stage. The present findings suggest that frontal EEG alpha asymmetry during resting conditions can reflect individual differences in the processing of congruent and incongruent fearful faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Liu
- Department of Psychology, College of Teacher Education, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Renlai Zhou
- Department of Psychology, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- *Correspondence: Renlai Zhou,
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Perchtold CM, Weiss EM, Rominger C, Fink A, Weber H, Papousek I. Cognitive reappraisal capacity mediates the relationship between prefrontal recruitment during reappraisal of anger-eliciting events and paranoia-proneness. Brain Cogn 2019; 132:108-117. [PMID: 30980988 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2019.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Difficulties in emotion regulation, particularly in using adaptive regulation strategies such as cognitive reappraisal, are a commonly observed correlate of paranoia. While it has been suggested that poor implementation of cognitive reappraisal in dealing with aversive events precedes the onset of subclinical paranoid thinking, there is little empirical research on neural activation patterns during cognitive reappraisal efforts that might indicate vulnerability towards paranoid thinking. Prefrontal EEG alpha asymmetry changes were recorded while n = 57 participants were generating alternative appraisals of anger-eliciting events, and were linked to a behavioral measure of basic cognitive reappraisal capacity and self-reported paranoia proneness (assessed by personality facets of hostility and suspiciousness; Personality Inventory for DSM-5). Mediation analysis revealed that less left-lateralized activation at ventrolateral prefrontal sites during reappraisal efforts predicted a higher degree of paranoia proneness. This relationship was mediated through poorer cognitive reappraisal capacity. Matching previous evidence, findings suggest that inappropriate brain activation during reappraisal efforts impairs individuals' capacity to come up with effective alternative interpretations for anger-evoking situations, which may accentuate personality features related to increased paranoid thinking. The findings add to our understanding of neurally underpinned impairments in the capacity to generate cognitive reappraisals and their link to maladaptive personality and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Andreas Fink
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria.
| | - Hannelore Weber
- Department of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Germany.
| | - Ilona Papousek
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria. https://psychologie.uni-graz.at/en/biological-psychology/team/
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Papousek I, Rominger C, Weiss EM, Perchtold CM, Fink A, Feyaerts K. Humor creation during efforts to find humorous cognitive reappraisals of threatening situations. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 42:16176-16190. [PMID: 37554948 PMCID: PMC10404570 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-019-00296-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
This interdisciplinary study examined the structure of humor creation in the specific context of efforts to positively reappraise stressful situations for effective coping. In a sample of n = 101 participants, a performance test was used to assess the quantity (fluency, number of generated ideas that qualified as humor) and quality (rated funniness) of humor creation in cognitive reappraisal. Linguistic mechanisms were identified and quantified using cognitive-linguistic methods of corpus analysis, and their employment was correlated with humor production performance on the level of the individual. Almost all individuals were able to come up with reappraisal ideas that qualified as humorous. Depressive symptoms, a negative mood state, and high perceptions of threat did not compromise the participants' capability to create humor. Individuals who were more serious-minded as a trait produced ideas that were rated as less funny, but their basic ability to create humor was unaffected. Metonymy (a contiguity-based principle of meaning extension) emerged as by far the most prominent semantic mechanism in the creation of humorous re-interpretations. Furthermore, its use was related to good humor creation performance in terms of quantity and quality, which is in line with its assumed importance in the extension of meaning in general and the creation of humor in particular. Further effective linguistic mechanisms and conceptual phenomena were identified. The empirical data may be valuable for the development of interventions involving the creation of humorous ideas for cognitive reappraisal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilona Papousek
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | | | | | | | - Andreas Fink
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Kurt Feyaerts
- Department of Linguistics, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Perchtold CM, Papousek I, Fink A, Weber H, Rominger C, Weiss EM. Gender Differences in Generating Cognitive Reappraisals for Threatening Situations: Reappraisal Capacity Shields Against Depressive Symptoms in Men, but Not Women. Front Psychol 2019; 10:553. [PMID: 30930820 PMCID: PMC6428936 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite major research interest regarding gender differences in emotion regulation, it is still not clear whether men and women differ in their basic capacity to implement specific emotion regulation strategies, as opposed to indications of the habitual use of these strategies in self-reports. Similarly, little is known on how such basic capacities relate to indices of well-being in both sexes. This study took a novel approach by investigating gender differences in the capacity for generating cognitive reappraisals in adverse situations in a sample of 67 female and 59 male students, using a maximum performance test of the inventiveness in generating reappraisals. Participants' self-perceived efficacy in emotion regulation was additionally assessed. Analyses showed that men and women did not differ in their basic capacity to generate alternative appraisals for anxiety-eliciting scenarios, suggesting similar functional cognitive mechanisms in the implementation of this strategy. Yet, higher cognitive reappraisal capacity predicted fewer depressive daily-life experiences in men only. These findings suggest that in the case of cognitive reappraisal, benefits for well-being in women might depend on a more complex combination of basic ability, habits, and efficacy-beliefs, along with the use of other emotion regulation strategies. The results of this study may have useful implications for psychotherapy research and practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinna M. Perchtold
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria,*Correspondence: Corinna M. Perchtold,
| | - Ilona Papousek
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Andreas Fink
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Hannelore Weber
- Department of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
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Perchtold CM, Weiss EM, Rominger C, Feyaerts K, Ruch W, Fink A, Papousek I. Humorous cognitive reappraisal: More benign humour and less "dark" humour is affiliated with more adaptive cognitive reappraisal strategies. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0211618. [PMID: 30703148 PMCID: PMC6355006 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The capacity to find humorous perspectives in aversive situations may outline a helpful strategy in the context of cognitive reappraisal. Yet, research suggested that some people produce more adaptive humour than others. At the same time, not all forms of cognitive reinterpretation seem to be unequivocally beneficial. The present study aimed to investigate specific cognitive reappraisal strategies that individuals employ in humorous reappraisal of adverse events. In a sample of 95 participants, the use of cognitive reappraisal sub-strategies was assessed in a behavioural test in which participants were required to generate a series of humorous reappraisals of self-relevant, threatening events. These reappraisal sub-strategies (three positive reinterpretation strategies, three de-emphasising strategies) were then related to the habitual use of different kinds of humour as well as the broader DSM-5 personality trait domains and well-being in terms of depressive experiences, assessed by self-report questionnaires. While no robust relationships were found for reappraisal strategies based on de-emphasising, sub-strategies within the positive reinterpretation category showed specific and contrasting associations with the examined traits. Findings indicated that the ability to produce humour is only linked to a favourable pattern of reappraisal strategies when manifested in benign forms of humour. Specific relations also emerged for the broader personality traits. The study suggests that some characteristics that advance the use of benign humour also benefit adaptive emotion regulation. The opposite seems to be true for malicious, or "dark" humour. The introduced behavioural approach to the analysis of humorous cognitive reappraisal may prove useful also in future related research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Kurt Feyaerts
- Department of Linguistics, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Willibald Ruch
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Fink
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Ilona Papousek
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- * E-mail:
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Rominger C, Papousek I, Weiss EM, Schulter G, Perchtold CM, Lackner HK, Fink A. Creative Thinking in an Emotional Context: Specific Relevance of Executive Control of Emotion-Laden Representations in the Inventiveness in Generating Alternative Appraisals of Negative Events. CREATIVITY RESEARCH JOURNAL 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/10400419.2018.1488196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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The creative brain in the figural domain: Distinct patterns of EEG alpha power during idea generation and idea elaboration. Neuropsychologia 2018; 118:13-19. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Revised: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 02/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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39
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Perchtold CM, Fink A, Rominger C, Weber H, de Assunção VL, Schulter G, Weiss EM, Papousek I. Reappraisal inventiveness: impact of appropriate brain activation during efforts to generate alternative appraisals on the perception of chronic stress in women. ANXIETY, STRESS, AND COPING 2018; 31:206-221. [PMID: 29338344 PMCID: PMC5796481 DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2017.1419205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Revised: 10/18/2017] [Accepted: 10/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Previous research indicated that more left-lateralized prefrontal activation during cognitive reappraisal efforts was linked to a greater capacity for generating reappraisals, which is a prerequisite for the effective implementation of cognitive reappraisal in everyday life. The present study examined whether the supposedly appropriate brain activation is relevant in terms of more distal outcomes, i.e., chronic stress perception. DESIGN AND METHODS Prefrontal EEG alpha asymmetry was recorded while female participants were generating reappraisals for stressful events and was correlated with their self-reported chronic stress levels in everyday life (n = 80). RESULTS Women showing less left-lateralized brain activity in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex during cognitive reappraisal efforts reported experiencing more stress in their daily lives. This effect was independent of self-efficacy beliefs in managing negative emotions. CONCLUSION These findings underline the practical relevance of individual differences in appropriate brain activation during emotion regulation efforts and the assumedly related basic capacity for the generation of cognitive reappraisals to the feeling of being stressed. Implications include the selection of interventions for the improvement of coping with stress in women in whom the capability for appropriate brain activation during reappraisal efforts may be impaired, e.g., due to depression or old age.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andreas Fink
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | | | - Hannelore Weber
- Department of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Ilona Papousek
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
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Perchtold CM, Papousek I, Koschutnig K, Rominger C, Weber H, Weiss EM, Fink A. Affective creativity meets classic creativity in the scanner. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 39:393-406. [PMID: 29058352 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2017] [Revised: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 10/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The investigation of neurocognitive processes underlying more real-life creative behavior is among the greatest challenges in creativity research. In this fMRI study, we addressed this issue by investigating functional patterns of brain activity while participants were required to be creative in an affective context. Affective creativity was assessed in terms of individual's inventiveness in generating alternative appraisals for anger-evoking events, which has recently emerged as a new ability concept in cognitive reappraisal research. In addition, a classic divergent thinking task was administered. Both creativity tasks yielded strong activation in left prefrontal regions, indicating their shared cognitive processing demands like the inhibition of prepotent responses, shifting between different perspectives and controlled memory retrieval. Regarding task-specific differences, classic creative ideation activated a characteristic divergent thinking network comprising the left supramarginal, inferior temporal, and inferior frontal gyri. Affective creativity on the other hand specifically recruited the right superior frontal gyrus, presumably involved in the postretrieval monitoring of reappraisal success, and core hubs of the default-mode network, which are also implicated in social cognition. As a whole, by taking creativity research to the realm of emotion, this study advances our understanding of how more real-life creativity is rooted in the brain. Hum Brain Mapp 39:393-406, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ilona Papousek
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | | | | | - Hannelore Weber
- Department of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | | | - Andreas Fink
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
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41
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Reznik SJ, Allen JJB. Frontal asymmetry as a mediator and moderator of emotion: An updated review. Psychophysiology 2017; 55. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 167] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2016] [Revised: 01/08/2017] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - John J. B. Allen
- Department of Psychology; University of Arizona; Tucson Arizona USA
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42
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Hsieh IJ, Chen YY. Determinants of aggressive behavior: Interactive effects of emotional regulation and inhibitory control. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0175651. [PMID: 28399150 PMCID: PMC5388499 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Accepted: 03/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Aggressive behavior can be defined as any behavior intended to hurt another person, and it is associated with many individual and social factors. This study examined the relationship between emotional regulation and inhibitory control in predicting aggressive behavior. Seventy-eight participants (40 males) completed self-report measures (Negative Mood Regulation Scale and Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire), a stop signal task, and engaged in a modified version of Taylor Aggression Paradigm (TAP) exercise, in which the outcome was used as a measure of direct physical aggression. We used a hierarchical, mixed-model multiple regression analysis test to examine the effects of emotion regulation and inhibitory control on physical reactive aggression. Results indicated an interaction between emotion regulation and inhibitory control on aggression. For participants with low inhibitory control only, there was a significant difference between high and low emotion regulation on aggression, such that low emotion regulation participants registered higher aggression than high emotion regulation participants. This difference was not found among participants with high inhibitory control. These results have implications for refining and targeting training and rehabilitation programs aimed at reducing aggressive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- I-Ju Hsieh
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Central University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Yung Y. Chen
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Central University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
- * E-mail:
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43
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Suo T, Liu L, Chen C, Zhang E. The Functional Role of Individual-Alpha Based Frontal Asymmetry in the Evaluation of Emotional Pictures: Evidence from Event-Related Potentials. Front Psychiatry 2017; 8:180. [PMID: 29021763 PMCID: PMC5623932 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The perceptual processing of emotional stimuli is subject to the regulation of brain function. This study investigated whether frontal electroencephalography (EEG) alpha asymmetry at resting conditions predicted the evaluation of emotional picture stimuli by event-related potentials (ERPs). In this study, participants first completed a 2-min resting task, and then passively viewed emotional pictures. The results showed that left active individuals had smaller frontal EEG alpha asymmetry scores to negative pictures than to positive and neutral pictures, whereas right active individuals had similar frontal EEG alpha asymmetry scores to negative, positive, and neutral pictures. Furthermore, the study showed a larger P300 to negative pictures than to positive and neutral pictures for left active individuals; however, there were no significant ERP differences to negative, positive, and neutral pictures for right active individuals. These findings suggest that frontal EEG alpha asymmetry at resting conditions can reflect interindividual differences in emotional perception tendencies to emotional picture stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Suo
- Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Department of Psychology, School of Education, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Lei Liu
- Department of Psychology, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Chaoyang Chen
- Department of Psychology, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Entao Zhang
- Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Department of Psychology, School of Education, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
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