We frequently try to appear less emotional than we really are, such as when
we are angry with our spouse at a dinner party, disgusted by a boss's sexi
st comments during a meeting; or amused by a friend's embarrassing faux pas
in public. Attempts at emotion suppression doubtless have social benefits.
However, suppression may do more than change how we look: It also may chan
ge how we think. Two studies tested the hypothesis that emotion suppression
has cognitive consequences. Study 1 showed that suppression impaired incid
ental memory for information presented during the suppression period. Study
2 replicated this finding and further showed that suppression increased ca
rdiovascular activation. Mediational analyses indicated that physiological
and cognitive effects were independent. Overall, findings suggest that emot
ion suppression is a cognitively demanding form of self-regulation.