Power, emotion appropriateness norms, and regulation of anger and sadness

Social power (control over valued resources and outcomes) has pervasive effects on how people think, feel, and behave. One important domain likely to be influenced by power is emotion regulation (how people manage their emotions). Extending a small literature on power and emotion regulation, the present research (data collected between 2017 and 2019) examined whether experimentally manipulated power roles (e.g., being a boss vs. an employee) influence the regulation of anger and sadness, and whether emotion appropriateness norms (concerns about the appropriateness of emotions in particular contexts) might explain these effects. Using a within-subjects design, an exploratory study (Study 1, N = 207) asked participants to imagine themselves in three different power roles (i.e., high, equal, and low power) in scenarios that elicited either anger or sadness. They were then asked how they would regulate (via suppression, acceptance, and reappraisal) their emotions. Across anger and sadness scenarios, participants reported more suppression, less acceptance, and more reappraisal when imagining themselves in the high- and low-power roles compared to the equal-power role. Preregistered Study 2 (N = 447) replicated Study 1s effects and indicated that emotion appropriateness norms partially statistically mediated the effects of power role. Last, preregistered Study 3 (N = 291) replicated Studies 1 and 2. Overall, the findings suggest that unequal compared to equal power roles lead to more regulation (both suppression and reappraisal) and less acceptance of anger and sadness, and that emotion appropriateness norms partially explain these effects. This research provides novel insights into how and why power affects regulation of negative emotions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).