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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation
Published on: August 26, 2011
Alexithymia, anger, and interpersonal behavior
1Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 61820, USA.
Background:
We explored the relationship between alexithymia and interpersonal behavior, particularly the expression of anger.
Methods:
Ninety-eight college students completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. A median split was used to divide participants into a low-alexithymia and a high-alexithymia group. The experimenter intentionally engaged in a series of anger-provoking behaviors.
Results:
Compared to individuals in the low-alexithymia group, individuals in the high-alexithymia group were more interpersonally avoidant and exhibited more nonverbal anger, yet there was a trend for them to describe their lab experience as more pleasant. Among individuals in the high-alexithymia group, the different measures of anger and interpersonal behavior were less strongly associated than they were among individuals in the low-alexithymia group.
Conclusions:
The results provide evidence of a complex association between alexithymia and anger, and of the lack of coherence in the communication of individuals with high levels of alexithymia.
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