Looking on the Bright Side Could Harm Psychological Health in Long Run

The act of reframing one's circumstances in order to alter their emotional impact, though helpful in the case of individuals who are highly stress, may be harmful in some situations, a new study suggests.

"Context is important," psychological scientist and lead researcher Allison Troy of Franklin & Marshall College said in a statement, noting that the study is one of the first to suggest that cognitive reappraisal, as it's known, may harbor negative consequences in some cases.

"For someone facing a stressful situation in which they have little control, such as a loved one's illness, the ability to use reappraisal should be extremely helpful -- changing emotions may be one of the only things that he or she can exert some control over to try to cope," Troy said. "But for someone experiencing trouble at work because of poor performance, for example, reappraisal might not be so adaptive."

In cases like these, Troy explained, the practice may actually render people less likely to change their circumstances, leaving them in a less-than-healthy situation. 

The researchers had individuals who recently underwent a stressful life event to take a survey designed to measure their levels of depression and stress. A week later, the same participants took part in a challenge designed to determine their cognitive reappraisal ability.

Based on the results, the researchers determined that one's capacity to control sadness was associated with fewer reported symptoms of depression -- but only for those for whom the stress factor was out of his or her hands, such as an ailing spouse. Individuals in situations with greater control over the cause of stress exhibited more depressive symptoms in the case that he or she was better at appraisal.

Those treating individuals suffering from difficult life circumstances should be wary of a one-size-fits-all, Troy concluded.

"Our results suggest that therapeutic interventions that seek to improve emotion regulation ability and teach clients to use particular strategies in context appropriate ways would be particularly beneficial," she said. "It may be, for instance, that more active strategies like problem-solving and seeking social support could be particularly beneficial in more controllable contexts."