Worry undermines savoring’s ability to reduce negative picture processing

Savoring is a positive emotion up-regulation strategy that increases positive emotion and the late positive potential (LPP) in response to positive pictures. Knowing whether savoring affects response to subsequently presented negative pictures might increase understanding of whether it could buttress against the impact of upcoming negative events. Nonetheless, a beneficial effect of savoring on subsequent negative emotion might run counter to attempts to maintain negative emotion that are employed by individuals high in chronic worry. We investigated whether savoring of positive pictures would alter electrocortical and self-report responses to subsequently presented negative and neutral pictures, and whether individual differences in worry would moderate this effect. On each trial, participants (N = 36) savored or viewed a positive picture, which was followed by a negative or neutral picture. Participants were asked to simply view the second picture and rate its emotional valence while EEG was recorded. Results showed that savoring positive pictures led to reduced LPPs to negative but not neutral pictures. However, this effect was attenuated for those higher in worry, such that individuals with higher levels of worry showed larger LPPs to negative pictures after savoring (versus viewing), whereas those with lower levels of worry had smaller LPPs to negative pictures after savoring. Savoring did not affect self-reported pleasantness ratings to negative pictures, and worry did not modulate savoring of positive pictures. Therefore, savoring may reduce the processing of upcoming negative pictures but may backfire for individuals higher in worry, potentially because emotional shifts are perceived as threatening.