Behavioral inhibition and amplification during emotional arousal: a comparison of two age groups
Abstract
This study investigated age differences in the ability to suppress and amplify expressive behavior during emotional arousal. Young and old participants viewed 3 film clips about medical procedures while their behavioral, autonomic, and subjective responses were recorded. Half of the participants viewed all 3 films without additional instructions; the other half was asked to suppress and amplify their behavioral expression during the 2nd and 3rd films. Except for heart rate, suppression and amplification produced similar patterns of autonomic activation. Neither suppression nor amplification had effects on self-reported emotion. There were no age differences in the ability to suppress or amplify emotional expression or in their physiological or subjective consequences. Considering that older people's unregulated reactivity was lower than that of young adults, suppression may have been easier and amplification more difficult for older adults. Voluntary emotion regulation might be one domain of human performance that is spared from age-related losses.
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The effect of emotion suppression on increased sympathetic activation of the cardiovascular system has been replicated across age, gender, and type of emotion elicited.
“This effect has been replicated across age, gender, and type of emotion elicited (Gross & Levenson, 1997; Kunzmann, Kupperbusch, & Levenson, 2005; Robinson & Demaree, 2007).”
From Cardiovascular costs of emotion suppression cross ethnic lines. (2008) · cites this paper as Kunzmann, Kupperbusch, & Levenson, 2005
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- Authors
- Kunzmann, U., Kupperbusch, C. S., & Levenson, R. W.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
- Venue
- Psychology and Aging
- Published
- 2005-03
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 144-158
- ISSN
- 0882-7974 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1498
- OpenAlex
- W2019893194
- Cited by
- 221
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 12
- FWCI
- 10.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychology and Aging (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (submittedVersion)
- Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion)
- MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging (R37AG017766, AG17766)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Keywords
- behavioral inhibition, emotional suppression, age differences, emotional arousal, autonomic reactivity, heart rate, subjective emotional experience, older adults
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Affect, Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Arousal, Body Temperature, Fingers, Galvanic Skin Response, Heart Rate, Humans, Inhibition, Psychological, Middle Aged, Surveys and Questionnaires, Social Behavior
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