The effect of sadness on cognitive control: evidence from behaviour and ERPs

Abstract

ABSTRACT Cognitive control, essential for daily functioning, is significantly influenced by emotional states. However, the specific impact of sadness on cognitive control, particularly its effects on the balance and shift between proactive and reactive control, has yet to be extensively explored in previous research. To address this gap, the current study improved the mood induction process, incorporated self-involvement into sadness, utilized physiological indicators to confirm the effect and duration of induced sadness, and examined its impact on cognitive control using the AX-CPT Task and ERPs. The results showed that neither sadness nor self-involved sadness significantly affected proactive or reactive control of behavioural performance. Intriguingly, self-involved sadness did disrupt cognitive control at the neural level, as evidenced by decreased CNV amplitude (indicative of proactive control) and increased N2 amplitude (indicative of reactive control). These findings offer valuable insights into the complex relationship between sadness and cognitive control .