A paz de espírito (PdE) é um aspeto do bem-estar caracterizado por serenidade e harmonia interna. Não é claro porque é que alguns indivíduos têm mais paz de espírito do que outros. Procurando responder a esta questão, Pilleriin Sikka avaliou participantes da Finlândia (Estudo 1, N = 417) e dos EUA (Estudo 2, N = 303) e observou que as pessoas com níveis mais elevados de PdE apresentam uma maior tendência para utilizar a reavaliação cognitiva (estratégia adaptativa de regulação emocional) e menor tendência para a supressão emocional (estratégia menos adaptativa de regulação emocional). Parece que a regulação emocional adaptativa pode explicar as diferenças individuais na PdE. O artigo Individual differences in peace of mind reflect adaptive emotion regulation, que reporta estes resultados, foi publicado na revista científica Personality and Individual Differences, no âmbito do projeto de investigação 295/20 - Peace of Mind and Emotion Regulation: Survey-Based, Behavioural, and Neuroscientific Investigations, apoiadas pela Fundação BIAL.
ABSTRACT
Well-being consists of several different dimensions, such as hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. However, peace of mind (PoM)—an aspect of well-being characterized by internal peace and harmony—has only recently begun to receive attention. It has been shown that PoM predicts important outcomes, such as depression and anxiety. An open question is what underlies individual differences in PoM. One important factor may be emotion regulation. However, to date, no studies have been conducted on PoM and emotion regulation. Here, we investigated the relationship between individual differences in PoM and trait emotion regulation. In two studies, participants from Finland (Study 1, N = 417) and the US (Study 2, N = 303) completed measures of PoM, trait emotion regulation, and other aspects of well-being and ill-being. Results showed that people with higher levels of PoM displayed a greater tendency to use cognitive reappraisal and a lesser tendency to use expressive suppression. Our findings suggest that adaptive emotion regulation may play an important role in explaining PoM and may serve as a promising target for interventions designed to enhance PoM.
