Published May 12, 2021 | Version v1
Journal article Open

Savoring the present: The reciprocal influence between positive emotions and positive emotion regulation in everyday life

  • 1. Jaume I University, Spain
  • 2. Center for Research on the Psychology of Cognition, Language and Emotion (PSYCLE), Aix Marseille University, Marseille, France
  • 3. Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Italy

Description

A growing body of research has investigated the regulation of negative emotions in ecological settings, but little is known about the mechanisms underlying positive emotion regulation in everyday life. Although some evidence suggests that adopting positive strategies is beneficial for emotional well-being, the literature is inconsistent about the effects of positive emotions on subsequent regulatory processes. In the present study, we adopted a two-week ecological momentary assessment to explore the association between positive emotions and positive emotion regulation in daily life. According to our results, the less individuals felt positive emotions at one point, the more they tended to enhance their use of positive strategies from this time to the next, which in turn resulted in subsequent higher levels of positive emotions. This prototype of positive regulation can be seen as a highly adaptive mechanism that makes it possible to compensate for a lack of positive emotions by enhancing the deployment of positive strategies. The theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

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Additional details

Funding

European Commission
AffecTech – Personal Technologies for Affective Health 722022