Individuals differ in their ability to disengage from unattainable goals (goal disengagement, GD) and reengage in other activities (goal reengagement, GR). Existing studies examining GD and GR abilities are limited by cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported measures. The present study employed an experimental paradigm using an anagram solving task to examine whether self-reported and behaviorally observed GD and/or GR abilities relate to emotional, heart-rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) reactivity. Results show no significant association between self-reported GD and time to disengage from unsolvable anagrams. However, self-reported GR predicted persistence behavior during unsolvable anagrams. Higher self-reported GR ability and longer behavioral persistence on unsolvable trials related to more positive affect before and during the task. Self-reported GD was associated with higher baseline HR and a tendency towards lower HR reactivity in response to unsolvable anagrams. While findings did not provide criterion-related validity to the GD measure, they do show self-reported GD and GR abilities may be relevant in the emotional and physiological consequences experienced during challenging goal pursuits.