Mood regulation upon remembering open memories

ABSTRACT

Open autobiographical memories are personal life experiences on which an individual does not have closure. It is unknown whether emotion regulation strategies through recalling positive memories are active after recalling open memories. The current study aims to explore the presence of emotion regulation for open memories while testing for the interference of depressive tendencies. The participants were asked to remember an open memory and answer questions on phenomenological features of this event. Later, they recalled a memory without any restrictions and answered similar phenomenological questions. The results showed that the subsequent memories were significantly more closed, more positive, and less intense during retrieval than open memories. Additionally, open memories were reported as involuntarily rehearsed more frequently than the subsequent memories. Depressive tendencies were unrelated to emotion regulation after open memory recall. This study provides insight into the emotion regulation strategies after remembering open memories and how depression could be related to this strategy.

KEYWORDS:

• Closure
• autobiographical memory
• emotion regulation
• open autobiographical memories

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank KURAM lab members for their valuable feedback and support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 It is important to clarify that our proposal on emotion regulation strategy through memory recall does not suggest a “closure” on the retrieved open memories. Instead, through more positive and closed memory recall, this strategy will up-regulate negative emotions aroused by open memory recall. We propose a more basic and affectional-level regulation rather than compensation for the need for emotional closure.

2 It is worth noting that our hypothesis is related to involuntary thinking rather than intrusive. The main difference between these types of recall experiences is that intrusive recall is usually repetitive, invades into consciousness and creates emotional disturbance that may affect daily functioning in an unhealthy way (Kvavilashvili, 2014). Moreover, all open events might not necessarily be intrusive for every individual although this issue might be investigated in future research.