Cognitive Reappraisal and Expressive Suppression Evoke Distinct Neural Connections during Interpersonal Emotion...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Social Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Interpersonal emotion regulation is crucial for relationships but lacks neural insights.
• Intrapersonal emotion regulation research has advanced, highlighting a gap in understanding interpersonal processes.
• Neural systems involved in emotion regulation include cognitive control, empathy/social cognition, and affective response.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the neural correlates of interpersonal emotion regulation.
• To investigate the neural basis of cognitive appraisal and expressive suppression strategies.
• To explore intrapersonal and interpersonal neural couplings during emotion regulation.

Main Methods:

• Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning was used to measure neural activity in 34 female dyads.
• Participants were assigned roles as regulator or target to downregulate negative emotions.
• Two strategies, cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, were employed.

Main Results:

• Both cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression effectively reduced target's negative emotions.
• Both strategies induced intrapersonal and interpersonal neural couplings in cognitive control, social cognition, and mirror neuron systems.
• Cognitive reappraisal showed broader neural patterns and increased synchronization in prefrontal and temporal areas during sharing, while expressive suppression involved PFC synchronization during regulation.

Conclusions:

• Interpersonal emotion regulation relies on neural couplings within cognitive control, social cognition, and mirror neuron systems.
• Cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression engage distinct interpersonal neural synchronization patterns.
• Findings enhance understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying interpersonal emotion regulation.