EXAMINING THE ROLES OF EMOTION BELIEFS AND INTERPERSONAL EMOTION REGULATION IN LONELINESS

Research shows that lay beliefs about the helpfulness and controllability of emotions may affect which strategies people use to regulate their emotions. A separate line of work shows that individuals who tend to use more disengagement-oriented regulation strategies (e.g., distraction) relative to engagement-oriented strategies (e.g., reappraisal) report higher trait loneliness. The present study investigates how lay beliefs about emotions shape strategy selection in social contexts and contribute to feelings of loneliness in everyday life.