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Conscientiousness predicts greater recovery from negative emotion
Kristin N Javaras1, Stacey M Schaefer, Carien M van Reekum
1Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, USA. javaras@wisc.edu
Emotion (Washington, D.C.)
|May 31, 2012
Summary
High conscientiousness and self-control in middle-aged adults promote better emotional recovery from negative experiences. This personality trait aids in regulating negative affect, contributing to psychological well-being.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Personality Science
- Emotion Regulation
Background:
- Conscientiousness is linked to reduced negative affect.
- Effective emotion regulation may mediate this relationship.
- Focus on recovery from negative stimuli as a key indicator.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if conscientiousness and self-control enhance recovery from negative emotional stimuli.
- To examine the role of emotion regulation as a mechanism linking conscientiousness to lower negative affect.
- To assess these effects in a sample of middle-aged and older adults.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 273 adults (ages 35-85).
- Collected self-report personality measures (conscientiousness, self-control).
- Assessed psychophysiological emotional reactivity and recovery 2 years later.
Main Results:
- Conscientiousness and self-control predicted greater recovery from negative stimuli in middle-aged adults (35-65).
- These traits did not predict emotional reactivity.
- The effect was specific to negative stimuli, not neutral or positive ones.
Conclusions:
- Conscientiousness, particularly self-control, facilitates emotional recovery in middle-aged adults.
- This suggests emotion regulation is a key mechanism linking personality to affect.
- Findings highlight the role of personality in adaptive emotional functioning.
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