Rethinking the link between cognitive control and emotion regulation: A meta-analytic review

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Emotion regulation is crucial for mental health and adaptive behavior.
• Theoretical frameworks suggest a strong link between cognitive control and emotion regulation.
• Empirical evidence for this connection, however, remains inconsistent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a comprehensive meta-analysis examining the relationship between individual differences in cognitive control and emotion regulation strategies.
• To quantify the associations between cognitive control (updating, inhibition, shifting) and reappraisal, suppression, rumination, and worry.

Main Methods:

• Meta-analysis of 70 studies for reappraisal (N=10,524), 45 for suppression (N=5,104), 109 for rumination (N=10,637), and 36 for worry (N=3,385).
• Examined associations between cognitive control components (updating, inhibition, shifting) and emotion regulation strategies.

Main Results:

• Stronger cognitive control was linked to more frequent and effective reappraisal, and less rumination and worry.
• Suppression showed no consistent relationship with cognitive control.
• Associations were found with inhibition and updating, but not shifting, with stronger effects for regulation ability than frequency.

Conclusions:

• The link between cognitive control and emotion regulation is weaker and more specific than commonly assumed.
• Dominant theories may overestimate the behavioral strength of this association.
• Further research needs more ecologically valid assessments of both constructs.