Have you ever covered up how you felt inside? Because you’re human, the answer is highly likely to be “Yes.” No, make that overwhelmingly likely. The cornucopia of moments life presents doesn’t always make it possible, or even helpful, to unveil how one really feels. For example, let’s say you felt extremely angry, for whatever reason, before walking into a grocery store. Are you feeling like scowling at the world in that moment? Probably. Does that mean you’re going to glower at the cashier? Probably not. A smile, a neutral face, or something with perhaps a little sadness mixed in, have better odds. No matter which emotion we’re talking about, we’ve all done a bit of emotional cloaking. This is also known as “expressive suppression.”
At the same time, like so many other behaviors, qualities, preferences, and tendencies, some of us mask our emotions more than others, and research shows a tie between using more expressive suppression and diminished emotional wellness. Having said that, other researchers have found that this relationship isn’t so simple.
In a new study designed to illuminate the connection between containing emotional expressions and lower psychological well-being, researchers asked study participants about their…
