The Reciprocal Relationship Between Sexual Arousal and Disgust as Evidenced in Automatic Approach-Avoidance Behavior.

Sexual encounters imply exposure to stimuli that in other contexts typically elicit disgust-induced avoidance. To explain why people nevertheless tend to show sexual approach, it has been proposed that heightened sexual arousal may temporarily inhibit disgust. In line with this, studies have found that sexually aroused individuals showed heightened willingness to approach disgusting stimuli. Because automatic processes are critically involved in sexual behaviors, we examined whether the impact of sexual arousal extends to automatic responses to disgust-elicitors. To test the proposed reciprocal relationship between sex and disgust, we also investigated whether disgust reduces automatic sexual approach. In Study 1, 116 female participants (M = age 19.53) were assigned to a sexual arousal or control condition and performed a speeded approach-avoidance task to assess automatic responses to disgusting stimuli. In Study 2, 174 female participants (M = age 22.14) were assigned to a disgust, sexual arousal, or control condition and performed an approach-avoidance task involving both sex and disgust-relevant stimuli. Sexual arousal did not affect automatic responses to disgusting stimuli, and disgust did not influence automatic responses towards sexual stimuli. The reciprocal relationship between sexual arousal and disgust that was previously found for controllable responses did not extend to automatic responses.

Influence of sad mood induction on implicit self-esteem and its relationship with symptoms of depression and anxiety.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Implicit self-esteem (ISE) refers to the valence of triggered associations when the self is activated. Despite theories, previous studies often fail to observe low ISE in depression and anxiety. It is feasible that sad mood is required to activate dysfunctional self-associations. The present study tested the following hypotheses: i) ISE is lower following a sad mood induction (SMI); ii) the relationship between ISE and level of depression/anxiety symptoms is relatively strong when ISE is measured during sad mood; iii) individuals with higher levels of depression/anxiety symptoms will show a relatively large decrease in ISE following a SMI. METHODS: In this mixed-designed study, university students completed the self-esteem implicit association test (IAT) either at baseline (control condition; n = 46) or following a SMI (experimental condition; n = 49). To test the third hypothesis, a SMI and IAT were also given in the control condition. Both conditions completed self-report measures of explicit self-esteem (ESE), and symptoms of depression and anxiety. RESULTS: There was no support for the first two hypotheses, but some support that symptoms of anxiety correlated with larger decreases in ISE following a SMI which partly supported the third hypothesis. This disappeared when controlling for multiple testing. LIMITATIONS: Results are limited to non-clinical participants. CONCLUSIONS: While ISE was robust against increases in sad mood, there was some tentative support that symptoms of anxiety were related to larger decreases in ISE following a SMI.

Cognitive control and suppression of memories of an emotional film.

Relatively weak cognitive control existing prior to a stressful event may be associated with intrusive memories of that stressor afterwards. To test this possibility, we tested participants under circumstances that putatively decrease cognitive control and explored how this affected the relation between indices of cognitive control and intrusive memories. Evening type participants (N = 80) were tested at either an optimal or a non-optimal time of day. Tests of working memory capacity and inhibitory control were administered. Subsequently, participants saw an emotional film fragment and engaged in thought suppression afterwards. Results show different correlational patterns in time-of-testing groups. At non-optimal times there were negative, but relatively weak correlations between working memory capacity and intrusions. Better inhibitory control was associated with fewer intrusions during the initial minute of the thought suppression period and with fewer self-reported intrusions. At optimal times however, these correlations were absent. Working memory capacity even showed robust correlations in the opposite direction. These findings cast doubts on the suitability of indices of working memory capacity for testing the idea that relatively weak cognitive control is linked to intrusive memory phenomena. Specific measures of inhibitory control may prove to be more appropriate for testing this idea.