Turning off hot feelings: Down-regulation of sexual desire using distraction and situation-focused reappraisal

• Published in: Biological psychology Vol. 137; pp. 116 - 124
• Main Authors: Shafir, Roni, Zucker, Leemor, Sheppes, Gal
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.09.2018
• Subjects: Distraction; Emotion regulation; Late positive potential; Reappraisal; Sexual desire; Distraction; Sexual desire; Late positive potential; Reappraisal; Emotion regulation
• ISSN: 0301-0511; 1873-6246
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.07.007

•Down-regulation of sexual desire via distraction and reappraisal was examined.•Both strategies successfully attenuated desire ratings and LPP amplitudes.•A marginal effect suggested stronger LPP attenuation during distraction.•Intense relative to mild sexual stimuli led to enhanced desire ratings and LPPs.•Distraction preference elevated as sexual-intensity level increased. Despite the frequent need to down-regulate sexual desire, existing studies are scarce, and focus on strategies that involve disengagement from processing sexual stimuli. Accordingly, the present study compared the efficacy of down-regulating sexual desire via disengagement (attentional distraction) and engagement (situation-focused reappraisal) strategies. Utilizing Event Related Potentials, we measured the Late Positive Potential (LPP) – an electro-cortical component that denotes processing of arousing stimuli, showing decreased amplitudes during successful down-regulation. Additionally, we explored whether the sexual-intensity level of stimuli (validated in a pilot study) impacts the efficacy of, and individuals’ behavioral preferences for distraction and situation-focused reappraisal. Supporting our predictions, relative to passive watching, both strategies successfully attenuated self-reported desire and LPP amplitudes, with a marginal trend (p = .07) showing stronger LPP attenuation during distraction compared to reappraisal. While sexual-intensity did not moderate regulatory efficacy, as predicted, disengagement-distraction preference increased for sexually-intense relative to sexually-mild stimuli. Broad implications are discussed.