“If you hold those emotions in they will just explode later.” “Emotions I hold in come back stronger later.” “Pent up emotions just make me explode in a fit of rage.” The idea that emotions come back in stronger explosive “bursts” if you suppress them makes a lot of sense. Like many older concepts in the mental health field, it is also highly intriguing!
But this concept has not borne out in research. Many studies have directly compared the effects of suppressing emotions to more adaptive strategies like reframing thoughts or accepting emotions. These studies have found some negative effects of suppression. Greater demands on cognitive functioning when suppressing; negative impacts social interactions in-the-moment (“this person showing no emotions is weird and unlikable”); and negative impacts on memory. To name a few.
Similar to the concept of catharsis, however, no study has actually demonstrated an increased rebound of negative emotion after suppressing. One study found that suppressing emotions during a laboratory task led to slower recovery from general distress compared to accepting emotions. But there was no rebound of greater negative emotions even in that study.
Some research findings even strongly suggest that there may be contexts in which suppressing emotions could actually be beneficial. Like so many things, “context is key” when it comes to suppressing emotions.
So why does suppression seem to bring about strong emotional rebound or later explosive release of emotion? This apparent effect may be due to other factors related to suppression. For example, not problem solving or asserting needs in frustrating situations could lead to continued high-intensity frustration or anger that is eventually expressed. Or experiencing lack of real or perceived social support when we do not show emotions that function to garner support (e.g., “no one wants to help me”), leading to continued building frustration due to lack of support.
We can increase effectiveness by helping clients get at those actual contributors to high intensity “explosive” emotional events or to depression. This charge lines up nicely with what many clinicians already attempt to do in therapy. For instance, helping clients learn to assert needs in social situations. Or to learn to accept emotions. Or to reframe thoughts in uncontrollable situations or to build problem solving abilities for controllable ones. We can help clients build more adaptive ways to respond to tough situations in their everyday lives.
