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Updated: Jun 10, 2026
08:09
Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
Physiological down-regulation and positive emotion in marital interaction
Joyce W Yuan1, Megan McCarthy, Sarah R Holley
1Department of Psychology, University ofCalifornia, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Emotion (Washington, D.C.)
|August 4, 2010
Summary
Positive emotions help undo physiological arousal from negative emotions. This effect was observed in middle-aged and older married couples during conflict discussions, showing its robust generalization.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Emotion Regulation
- Physiology
Background:
- Previous research indicates positive emotions can counteract physiological arousal from negative emotions.
- Prior studies utilized single-subject designs with college students viewing films.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the link between physiological down-regulation and positive emotion in married couples.
- To examine if the "undoing effect" of positive emotion extends to older adults and relationship contexts.
Main Methods:
- 149 middle-aged and older married couples discussed marital conflict for 15 minutes.
- Autonomic and somatic physiological activity were monitored during discussions.
- Emotional behaviors were recorded and coded to identify periods of down-regulation.
Main Results:
- Couples exhibited increased positive emotional behavior during periods of physiological down-regulation (transition from high to low arousal).
- This finding was consistent across varying ages, sexes, and marital satisfaction levels.
- Positive emotion appears to facilitate physiological recovery from arousal.
Conclusions:
- The "undoing effect" of positive emotion is robust and generalizes across diverse demographics and relationship satisfaction.
- Positive emotion serves as an effective emotion regulation strategy, promoting physiological recovery.
- Findings support the use of positive emotion as a coping mechanism in interpersonal contexts.
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