The effect of emotion regulation on executive function

Emotion regulation and executive function are associated. However, if – and how – these two processes affect one another has not previously been explored; most studies have employed a correlational approach, leaving the direction of influence unknown. Using an experimental design, we aimed to explore the impact of emotion regulation on executive functioning. Adult participants (N = 31) completed a computerized executive functioning task under a neutral/baseline condition and three emotion regulation conditions: (1) positive mood-maintain, (2) negative mood-maintain, (3) negative mood-reduce. Relative to baseline, participants demonstrated better set-shifting performance across regulation conditions (likely reflecting practice effects). In contrast, inhibitory control performance in the emotion regulation conditions was slower, suggesting that inhibitory control may be more involved in the emotion regulation process than set-shifting. The present study provides preliminary evidence that individuals' executive function may be affected by concurrent emotion regulation demands; additional experiments are necessary to further probe the complexity of this association.