# Inability to modulate affect in mood disorders



## David Baxter PhD (Feb 18, 2005)

Inability to modulate affect is associated with many common mood disorders
NewsRx.com - February 17, 2005 

Researchers have investigated behavioral, affective, and physiological effects of negative and positive emotional exaggeration. 

According to published research from the United States, "Emotion regulation is essential for the production of socially appropriate affect and successful interpersonal functioning. The relative inability to modulate affect, known as 'emotional dysregulation', is associated with many common mood disorders (such as major depressive disorder or bipolar spectrum disorders). Thus, understanding the physiological processes underlying emotional regulation is extremely important." 

H.A. Demaree and colleagues of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland explained, "This experiment was designed to explore the affective, behavioral, and physiological responses associated with a rarely studied emotion regulation technique-exaggeration. A total of 52 undergraduate participants watched a 2-minute video designed to elicit either feelings of amusement (positive affect) or disgust (negative affect). Physiological recordings-including skin conductance, interbeat interval (IBI), high frequency (HF) power spectrum of heart rate variability (HRV), and sympathovagal balance (LF/HF)-were recorded for the 2 minutes prior to, during, and after mood induction." 

"As expected, persons asked to exaggerate their responses were rated as behaviorally showing increased arousal relative to individuals in the natural-watch condition. With regard to IBI, those in the exaggerated condition experienced significantly greater IBI reductions (increased heart rate) during reactivity and IBI increases during recovery relative to those in the natural-watch condition (who showed the opposite pattern of response)," the researchers reported. 

"Moreover, persons in the exaggerate condition evidenced increased sympathovagal balance in response to the emotional videos relative to those in the natural-watch condition," they added. 

The authors concluded, "Results generally support and extend previous research findings designed to assess the impact of response-focused affect modulation strategies." 

Demaree and colleagues published their findings in _Cognition & Emotion_ (Behavioral, affective, and physiological effects of negative and positive emotional exaggeration. _Cognition Emotion_, 2004;18(8):1079-1097). 

Additional information can be obtained by contacting H.A. Demaree, Case Western Reserve University, Department of Psychology, Mather Memorial Bldg., Room 109, 11220 Bellflower Road, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.


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