Suppressing Better: A Dyadic Examination of Inhibiting Emotional Expression in Relationship Conflict Across the Lifespan

OBJECTIVES: Habitual and momentary emotion regulation (ER) affect social outcomes across the lifespan. Strategies that inhibit the expression of emotion often have negative consequences. We examined the roles of trait and state expressive suppression (i.e., inhibition of emotion expression) in predicting conflict outcomes in couples. We hypothesized that expressive suppression would predict worse outcomes among younger adults than relatively older adults and investigated trait by state suppression interactions. METHODS: A sample of 132 couples (N = 264) aged 23-85 (M = 53, SD = 18) completed a trait survey of ER, discussed an area of conflict in their relationship, then reported on state ER during the discussion and conversation outcomes (productivity and emotional gratification). RESULTS: Actor-partner interdependence modeling revealed that, regardless of age, state suppression during the conversation predicted lower productivity (actor effect b=-0.19, SE = 0.09, p=.04). State suppression was less strongly tied to lower emotional gratification in relatively older adults (age x suppression, b = 0.01, SE = 0.004, p=.013). Finally, a three-way interaction emerged such that state suppression predicted the lowest emotional gratification for younger adults who more habitually used suppression, whereas state suppression was not associated with emotional gratification for older adults who more habitually used suppression (age x state x trait suppression, b = 0.01, SE = 0.004, p=.03). DISCUSSION: Emotion regulation may differentially predict conflict outcomes depending on the regulator's trait emotion regulation and age. Flexibility is key to successful emotion regulation, and older adults may be at an advantage in knowing how to suppress their emotional expressions more effectively during interactions with close others.