Abstract
Emotional suppression has been considered a critical factor in determining one’s mental health and psychological well-being in intimate relationships such as marriage. The present study aimed to delineate the nuanced association between emotional suppression and psychological well-being in marriage by considering two critical factors: (a) individual differences in motivational orientation and (b) the perceived level of a partner’s emotional suppression. A set of two online survey studies were conducted on a large sample of married participants. The participants were asked to indicate (a) their own level of emotional suppression, (b) the perceived level of their spouse’s emotional suppression, (c) relationship motivation, and (d) satisfaction with marital life. The results consistently indicated that for prevention-focused individuals being emotionally suppressive was associated with greater marital satisfaction, but only for those who perceived their spouses as also emotionally suppressive. Conversely, for promotion-focused individuals, being less emotionally suppressive was associated with greater marital satisfaction, but again, only for those who perceived their spouses as also being less emotionally suppressive. These findings provide insights into research on emotion regulation and self-regulatory strategies in influencing psychological well-being and mental health in an intimate relationship.
Highlights
In marriage, some spouses tend to overtly express their feelings to actively resolve issues and promote shared feelings of intimacy [1,2]
To resolve the inconsistency among the effects of emotional suppression on satisfaction in marriage, the present study suggests the need to consider which emotional behaviors are more adaptive for people with different motivational goals in their relationships [14]
In line with the suggestion that one’s regulatory focus plays a significant role in predicting the adaptiveness of their emotional strategies, the current study suggests the value of considering another critical factor within the interactive dynamics of marital relationships: perceptions of the partner’s behavior [24]
Summary
Some spouses tend to overtly express their feelings to actively resolve issues and promote shared feelings of intimacy [1,2]. Emotional suppression, defined as the conscious inhibition of expressive behaviors during emotional arousal [4], has been considered to have a noteworthy effect on an individual’s mental health and psychological well-being in close relationships [5,6]. Researchers found that habitual suppression of emotional expression was associated with lower relationship satisfaction among both romantic and married couples [7,8,9]. In this vein, it would seem that minimal concealment in the expression of one’s emotions should help promote marital success
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