Enhancing emotional flexibility: A randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral training combined with anodal...

Emotional flexibility is a basic ability that allows individuals to adapt their emotional responses to environmental changes. However, there is currently insufficient evidence to support the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral training and transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) in enhancing emotional flexibility. In this study, 120 college students (mean age = 21.36 ± 1.24 years, comprising 76 women and 44 men) were randomly assigned to four groups: anodal tDCS combined with behavioral training (Group 1), sham stimulation combined with behavioral training (Group 2), anodal tDCS alone (Group 3), and a control group (Group 4). The results showed that cognitive behavioral training and tDCS, whether used alone or in combination, significantly enhanced emotional flexibility, with transfer effects observed in cognitive flexibility and spatial working memory. Moreover, no significant differences were found among the three training methods in terms of training and transfer effects. Notably, the improvement in emotional flexibility was most pronounced when individuals shifted from negative to positive or negative emotional valences. However, no transfer effects were observed on working memory capacity tasks. These findings add evidence to the concept of brain plasticity from the perspective of emotional flexibility training and provide new insights for the treatment and intervention of patients with emotional disorders and other special populations who have difficulties in emotional flexibility.