UC Berkeley

Asymmetries in power, or the control over valued resources and outcomes, exist in social relations across a broad range of contexts. Power influences motivation, behavior, and emotional expression, and in turn can impact social interactions both positively and negatively. However, little is known about how power specifically influences emotion regulation. The present research examined whether experimentally manipulated power roles (e.g., being a boss versus an employee) affect regulation of anger and sadness, and how social norm concerns – beliefs about appropriateness, closeness, and power concerns – might explain these effects. Using a within-subjects design, one exploratory study (Study 1, N = 207) varied hypothetical power roles (i.e., high, equal, and low power vis-à-vis another person) and assessed their impact on emotion regulation (suppression, acceptance, and reappraisal). Participants reported more suppression, less acceptance, and more reappraisal in the high- and low-power roles compared to the equal-power role. These effects were consistent across anger and sadness scenarios and male and female gender. A pre-registered study (Study 2, N = 447) replicated Study 1 while also exploring social norm concerns as a potential mechanism driving the effects of power roles on emotion regulation. Study 2 replicated Study 1’s effects and also suggested that social norm concerns partially statistically mediated the power-role effects on suppression, acceptance, and reappraisal. A pre-registered study (Study 3, N = 291) replicated and confirmed Study 1 and Study 2’s main effects and Study 2’s mediation. A pre-registered study (Study 4, N = 471) then assessed a boundary condition (i.e., the other person in the power role scenario as the source of the to-be-regulated emotion vs. a bystander), and replicated main and mediation effects from Studies 1-3 in the low-power (but not high-power) compared to equal-power role, supporting the idea that the source of the to-be-regulated emotion matters when individuals possessing different power roles regulate negative emotions. A final between-subjects study (Study 5, N = 116) expanded previous study designs by experimentally manipulating power roles vis-à-vis an interaction partner who, in the course of the interaction, was the source of the to-be-regulated negative emotion. Power roles did not directly affect emotion regulation, but indirect effects via social norm concerns on suppression and acceptance seen in Study 4 were replicated. Overall, the findings suggest that different power roles differentially influence the regulation of anger and sadness and that social norm concerns partially explain these effects. The effects of social norm concerns depend in part on the source of the to-be-regulated emotion. This research provides novel insights and explanations for how and why individuals occupying different power roles manage their negative emotions.