Electrocortical Modulation of Reappraisal and Suppression in Avoidant and Secure Attachment: A Preliminary Investigation in Romantic Conflict

Adult attachment style shapes how people perceive and regulate social relationships. Prior research has shown differences in emotion regulation strategy use across attachment styles but lacks evidence on their temporal dynamics. This preliminary investigation examined 30 female participants (14 avoidant, 16 secure; ages 18-25 years) using event-related potentials (ERP) to investigate neural responses during cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression in response to romantic conflict images. Participants were categorized based on experience in close relationships (ECR) scale scores using ±1 SD cutoffs and completed viewing, reappraisal, and suppression conditions while EEG was recorded. Late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes were analysed using repeated-measures ANOVA across two temporal windows: early regulation (300-500 ms) and late regulation (500-800 ms). Results showed that in early phases (300-500 ms), expressive suppression reduced LPP while reappraisal increased it for avoidant individuals; for secure individuals, only reappraisal reduced LPP. In later phases (500-800 ms), expressive suppression led to stronger LPP in avoidant individuals, while both strategies reduced LPP for secure individuals, with reappraisal also improving pleasantness ratings. These findings suggest that expressive suppression has an earlier but less lasting effect for avoidant attachment, whereas reappraisal yields earlier and more sustained regulation for secure attachment.