Depletion Effects Reduce the Preference for Distraction (but Not Reappraisal) During Emotion Regulation

Ruiwen Huang1, Mei Le1, JiaJin Yuan1,2

  • 1Institute of Brain and Psychological Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China.

Psych Journal
|June 4, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Cognitive depletion reduces willingness to use emotion regulation strategies like distraction. This impacts how individuals cope with negative emotional stimuli, favoring less effortful responses when resources are low.

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