Emotion regulation: The role of hypnotizability and interoception

Hypnotizability-related differences in interoception may be relevant to emotion regulation. The present study examined the relationships between hypnotizability, interoceptive sensibility (IS) and interoceptive accuracy (IA), and the use of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. One hundred and two healthy volunteers, assessed for hypnotizability, completed questionnaires assessing absorption, state anxiety, IS and emotion regulation. A portion of them (N = 62) participated in the heartbeat counting task, measuring IA. IS was positively associated with hypnotizability and cognitive reappraisal and negatively associated with expressive suppression. IA was negatively associated with hypnotizability and cognitive reappraisal and showed no relationship with expressive suppression. Mediation analysis revealed that hypnotizability indirectly positively predicted cognitive reappraisal through both IS and IA. Participants with high and low hypnotizability were more likely to use expressive suppression than participants with medium hypnotizability. Results support the role of interoception and hypnotizability in emotion regulation and may guide new clinical approaches.