Dimensions of affect modulated by perceived mood regulation ability.

The ability to regulate mood is a facet of emotional intelligence that may contribute to an individual's physical and mental health. Precisely what is regulated when mood regulation occurs is dependent on what "makes up" mood. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether perceived mood regulation ability can predict regulation of affect during task engagement and whether affect regulation is specific to valence or arousal. Measures of positive affect, negative affect, and frontal area sEMG (as a measure of arousal) were obtained from a sample of one hundred twenty-four participants categorized by their self report as possessing low or high mood regulation ability. Modulation of positive affect, but not negative affect, was predicted by perceived mood regulation ability. The results of sEMG were mixed. These data provide some support for the hypothesis that mood regulation ability can predict future efforts to regulate affect, at least in the context of task engagement.

Heterosexual men's anger in response to male homosexuality: effects of erotic and non-erotic depictions of male-male intimacy and sexual prejudice.

The present study compared effects of erotic and non-erotic depictions of male-male intimacy on the experience of anger in heterosexual men. Data came from three independent laboratory studies designed to elicit anger in response to erotic or non-erotic depictions of male-male and male-female intimacy. All participants completed a measure of sexual prejudice and anger was assessed before and after viewing the erotic or non-erotic video. Among high-prejudiced men, viewing erotic and non-erotic intimate behavior between two men elicited significant increases in anger relative to viewing comparable behavior between a male-female dyad. In contrast, among low-prejudiced men, viewing erotic, but not non-erotic, intimate behavior between two men elicited significant increases in anger relative to viewing comparable behavior between a male-female dyad. Implications for understanding heterosexual men's anger, and aggression, toward gay men were discussed.

Power of being present: the role of mindfulness on the relation between men's alcohol use and sexual aggression toward intimate partners.

The primary aim of this investigation was to examine the association between men's level of mindfulness and histories of alcohol consumption and sexual aggression toward intimate partners. Participants were 167 heterosexual drinking males who completed self-report measures of mindfulness, frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption during the past 12 months and sexual aggression against intimate partners during the past 12 months. Results indicated that a history of consuming larger amounts when drinking was associated with more frequent sexual coercion/aggression among men who reported low, but not high, levels of mindfulness. However, drinking more frequently by itself was not associated with more frequent sexual coercion/aggression. These results support the attention-allocation model and suggest implications for future intervention research aimed at reducing alcohol-related aggression.