Taking charge of one's feelings: Sense of power and affect regulation. (15th July 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Leach, Stefan; Weick, Mario
• Is Part Of: Personality and individual differences. Volume 161(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-07-15
• Subjects: Power -- Affect -- Mood -- Affect regulation -- Emotion regulation; Personality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Personality Development -- Periodicals; Personnalité -- Périodiques; Individualité -- Périodiques; 155.205
• DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.109958
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0191-8869

Abstract

Highlights: Power is positively associated with strategies aimed at up-regulating affect. Power is negatively associated with strategies aimed at suppressing affect. Power is positively associated with ceasing negative affect in daily life. Power is not associated with maintaining positive affect in daily life. Abstract: People who can effectively regulate their feelings benefit from more desirable affective lives. Here we examine whether individual differences in chronic feelings of power are associated with regulatory efforts aimed at maintaining positive affect and ceasing negative affect. In Study 1, we found that people with a stronger (vs. weaker) sense of power were more inclined to cognitively re-frame (reappraise) and up-regulate (repair) their affective experiences, whilst also being less inclined to suppress their feelings. Drawing on affective experiences sampled repeatedly over a one-week period, in Study 2 we found that people with a stronger (vs. weaker) sense of power were more likely to cease their negative affect. However, a stronger (vs. weaker) sense of power was not associated with the likelihood to maintain positive affect. Together, the findings highlight a novel domain in which power may enhance self-regulation, and help explain how power differentials shape people's affective and social lives.