Does regulating others' feelings influence people's own affective well-being?

J Soc Psychol. 2012 Mar-Apr;152(2):246-60. doi: 10.1080/00224545.2011.599823.

Abstract

Individuals in a variety of social contexts try to regulate other people's feelings, but how does this process affect the regulators themselves? This research aimed to establish a relationship between people's use of interpersonal affect regulation and their own affective well-being. In a field study, self- and other-reported data were collected from prisoners and staff members in a therapeutic prison using two surveys separated in time. In a laboratory study, a student sample reported their affect before and after attempting to influence the feelings of talent show contestants in a role-play task. The results of both studies indicated congruent associations between the use of affect-improving and affect-worsening interpersonal affect regulation and strategy agents' affective well-being. Our findings highlight that, when performing interpersonal affect regulation, people may not be immune from the effects of their own actions.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Affect*
  • Aged
  • Emotions*
  • Feedback
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Intention
  • Internal-External Control*
  • Interpersonal Relations*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Motivation
  • Prisoners / psychology
  • Psychotherapy, Group
  • Quality of Life / psychology*
  • Role Playing
  • Social Facilitation*
  • Students / psychology
  • Therapeutic Community
  • Young Adult