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Updated: Aug 15, 2025

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation
Published on: August 26, 2011
Incorporating macro-social contexts into emotion research: Longitudinal associations between structural stigma and
Nathan L Hollinsaid1, John E Pachankis2, Patrick Mair1
1Department of Psychology, Harvard University.
Abstract:
Research into correlates and predictors of emotion regulation has focused almost exclusively on individual differences and the immediate situation. Here, we consider whether features of macro-social contexts may also shape emotion regulation. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a longitudinal study of 502 gay and bisexual men living in 269 U.S. counties that varied in the level of stigma surrounding sexual minorities. We find that gay and bisexual men living in higher- (vs. lower-) stigma counties consistently reported more suppression, which consequently explained longitudinal increases (vs. decreases) in their lack of emotional clarity over 24 months. Results were robust to demographic characteristics, stigma at the interpersonal level (i.e., sexual orientation-related discrimination), and another form of social inequality (i.e., county-level income inequality). These findings suggest that broadening the lens of emotion regulation research to include characteristics of the macro-social environment may yield new insights into determinants of emotion regulation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
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