Action control in emotion regulation: when reappraisal may carry hidden costs
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Cognitive reappraisal is widely regarded as adaptive, yet strategies that impose control to reduce unpleasant emotion may involve tradeoffs when individuals encounter personally meaningful reminders of past adversity. The present study examined these dynamics in a naturally occurring subsample of undergraduates with a history of parental divorce (n = 33; Mage = 20.09 years; M = 10.90 years since parental divorce). Within a larger experiment, participants viewed sad film clips including an unexpected divorce-relevant reminder, completed a movement-based Stroop task with mouse tracking to assess action dynamics, and later reported reminder-evoked distress, while habitual reappraisal and acceptance were measured via self-report. Instructed reappraisal conferred short-term functional benefits, reflected in Stroop action dynamics indicating more decisive, yet accurate, responses during reminder exposure. Greater time since divorce would typically predict lower reminder-evoked distress; however, moderation analyses showed this association emerged only among individuals lower in habitual reappraisal and was attenuated at higher levels (time × reappraisal interaction, β = .08, p = .03). In contrast, higher habitual acceptance—operationalized as nonjudgment toward emotional experience—showed the expected pattern (greater time since divorce predicting lower distress). Together, these findings highlight a potential tradeoff in emotion regulation: Reappraisal may support performance in the moment, yet greater habitual reliance on it may correspond with weaker links between time and lower distress from past reminders. We interpret these effects as an exploratory proof-of-concept within a cybernetic framework in which cognitive appraisal operates as a monitoring and corrective feedback process, whereas acceptance reflects disengagement from emotional control.
Source: Frontiers in Psychology
Institution: Texas A&M University
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
OpenAlex ID: W7159871006
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