The effect of Reappraisal and Suppression of Negative Emotional Experience on Frontal EEG Asymmetry according to Neuroticism and Extraversion Dimensions

The aim of the current study is to assess the effect of reappraisal and suppression of negative emotional experiences on regional activity of frontal lobe with regard to extraversion and neuroticism dimensions. To do so, according to extreme scores in extraversion and neuroticism dimensions of Persian version of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire- Revised (EPQ-R) and inclusion criteria, four groups including introvert, extravert, neurotic and emotionally stable (each with 20 Ss) were selected from male student’s population. All participants did have homogeneous dextrality. In order to assess brain activity in frontal regions during reappraisal and suppression of negative emotional experiences, participants watched to negative emotion- eliciting film clips. In reappraisal condition, participants asked to think about film nonemotionally and in suppression condition, participants asked to behave in such a way that if a person viewing them could not be able to guess what they are feeling. During these stages, EEG from different regions of frontal lobe was recorded. Results indicated that the suppression of negative emotional experiences ultimately increased right frontal activation; this increment was more in introverts and neurotics in comparison to extraverts and emotionally stables. Results also showed that the reappraisal of negative emotional experiences caused the activation of different sites of frontal lobe with regard to personality dimensions. In general, findings indicate that neuroticism and extraversion dimensions have a moderator role in brain activity during emotion regulation strategies and these strategies have different effect on frontal regional activation. According to findings one might claim that different emotion regulation strategies on the basis of different personality dimensions and its following brain activity put forward new perspectives in psychopathology, prevention, treatment and other research fields.