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Dealing efficiently with emotions: Acceptance-based coping with negative emotions requires fewer resources than suppression

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Pages 863-870 | Received 27 Sep 2010, Accepted 11 May 2011, Published online: 11 Jan 2012
 

Abstract

Previous studies have consistently shown that changing or avoiding emotions requires resources and therefore leads to impaired performance on a subsequent self-control task. The aim of the present study was to investigate the extent to which acceptance-based coping requires regulatory resources. Participants who accepted their emotions during exposure to a sad video performed better on a subsequent self-control task than participants who were instructed to suppress their emotions and a control group who received no instructions. These findings suggest that acceptance is an efficient strategy in terms of resources.

Notes

1Although it is possible to frame acceptance in terms of goals, namely (1) to take an accepting stance towards experienced emotions and (2) to approach this process in a non-judgemental manner, the present distinction refers to the future goal that one aims to reach by involving in a process, rather than these two present-oriented process goals.

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