تنوع در هزینه های فیزیولوژیکی و مزایای نشخوار فکری و حواس پرتی: اثر تعدیل سرکوب افکار مبتنی بر عادت

Whereas traditional theories of emotion regulation have differentiated between categorically adaptive and maladaptive strategies, contemporary research has emphasized the role of context in strategy efficacy. The current study sought to determine whether the effects of rumination, which is typically considered to be a maladaptive strategy, and the effects of distraction, which is typically considered to be an adaptive strategy, are moderated by trait thought suppression. In a sample of 50 participants, habitual thought suppression was measured and participants underwent either a rumination induction or distraction induction while respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a physiological index of flexible response to stimuli, was monitored. Results demonstrated that among trait thought suppressors, induced rumination resulted in increased RSA, suggesting enhanced regulatory flexibility, while induced distraction resulted in decreased RSA, suggesting less flexibility. Among individuals who are not prone to thought suppression, the converse was observed. These results provide support for the context-dependent theory of emotion regulation, and indicate that the efficacy of rumination and distraction may be moderated by proneness to thought suppression.

There were no significant differences between induction groups in terms of age, race, or level of education (See Table 1), and the distributions of data for the suppression and RSA variables were normal (See Table 2). In addition, there were no differences in mean suppression or baseline RSA scores between induction groups (See Table 3) or racial categories.