title: Individual differences in self-reported self-control predict successful emotion regulation.
abstract: Both self-control and emotion regulation enable individuals to adapt to external circumstances and social contexts, and both are assumed to rely on the overlapping neural resources. Here, we tested whether high self-reported self-control is related to successful emotion regulation on the behavioral and neural level. One hundred eight participants completed three self-control questionnaires and regulated their negative emotions during functional magnetic resonance imaging using reappraisal (distancing). Trait self-control correlated positively with successful emotion regulation both subjectively and neurally, as indicated by online ratings of negative emotions and functional connectivity strength between the amygdala and prefrontal areas, respectively. This stronger overall connectivity of the left amygdala was related to more successful subjective emotion regulation. Comparing amygdala activity over time showed that high self-controllers successfully maintained down-regulation of the left amygdala over time, while low self-controllers failed to down-regulate towards the end of the experiment. This indicates that high self-controllers are better at maintaining a motivated state supporting emotion regulation over time. Our results support assumptions concerning a close relation of self-control and emotion regulation as two domains of behavioral control. They further indicate that individual differences in functional connectivity between task-related brain areas directly relate to differences in trait self-control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Mind and Brain Research, Charité - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin 10117, Germany Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Luisenstraße 56, Berlin 10117, Germany Department of Psychology, Humboldt Universitaet zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, Berlin 12489, Germany Lena.Paschke@charite.de.
authors.forename: Lena M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Paschke
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Zellescher Weg 17, Dresden 01062, Germany.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dörfel
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Mind and Brain Research, Charité - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin 10117, Germany Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Luisenstraße 56, Berlin 10117, Germany.
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Steimke
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Westfaelische Wilhelms-Universitaet Muenster, Fliednerstraße 21, Muenster 48149, Germany.
authors.forename: Ima
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Trempler
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Mind and Brain Research, Charité - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin 10117, Germany Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Luisenstraße 56, Berlin 10117, Germany Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universiteat Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany.
authors.forename: Amadeus
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Magrabi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Mind and Brain Research, Charité - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin 10117, Germany Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Luisenstraße 56, Berlin 10117, Germany Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, Charité - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Berlin 10119, Germany.
authors.forename: Vera U
authors.initials: VU
authors.lastname: Ludwig
authors.affiliation: Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Luisenstraße 56, Berlin 10117, Germany Department of Psychology, Humboldt Universitaet zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, Berlin 12489, Germany.
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schubert
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Mind and Brain Research, Charité - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin 10117, Germany Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Luisenstraße 56, Berlin 10117, Germany Department of Psychology, Humboldt Universitaet zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, Berlin 12489, Germany International Psychoanalytic University, Stromstraße 1, Berlin 10555, Germany Lena.Paschke@charite.de.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stelzel
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Mind and Brain Research, Charité - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin 10117, Germany Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Luisenstraße 56, Berlin 10117, Germany Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, Charité - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Berlin 10119, Germany Lena.Paschke@charite.de.
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Walter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D057566:Self Report; D000068356:Self-Control / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: amygdala; fMRI; functional connectivity; reappraisal; self-regulation