Relationships between emotional experiences and health and adjustment are influenced by many variables, with emotional suppression (ES) being one of the most influential factors. In the current study, we examined the effects of affect and ES on short-term life satisfaction (LS) measured over the previous week. We also considered the dimension of activation status for both positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA). The final sample included data collected from 398 undergraduates (184 men and 214 women). Participants answered six questionnaires, two of which were used for another study. All of the tests were of Japanese versions and were answered with regard to the previous week's experiences. Results showed that LS was positively associated with PA and negatively with NA, but that the positive association was stronger for activated PA than deactivated PA, while the negative association was stronger for deactivated NA than activated NA. Furthermore, an interactive effect between deactivated NA and ES on LS was significant in men, where post hoc tests demonstrated that deactivated NA was more negatively associated with LS when ES was higher. This study suggests that activated and deactivated affect differ in their effects on LS. In addition, it is likely that the detrimental effect of deactivated NA on LS is larger when NA is more strongly suppressed. The necessity of interventional research along with the limitations of this study is discussed for future research.

This study examined how three types of aggression (reactive-expressive, reactive-inexpressive, and proactive-relational) influence empathy (empathic cognition, role-taking, sharing emotion, and helping) which were regarded as the emotional aspects of social information processing (SIP). Elementary school children (grades four to six; n=667) completed a set of questionnaires consisting of the Proactive-Reactive Aggression Questionnaire for assessing the three types of aggression and an originally developed hypothetical-conflict-situation instrument for children's empathy responses to each of the three types of aggressive responses, which were presented using vignettes. Results showed that, compared to non-aggressive children, proactive-relationally aggressive children felt fewer empathy responses except for role-taking in any aggressive-response situations. This result was also supported by the structural equation modeling analyses that were conducted to verify whether children's aggression causes their distortion of empathy. The implication that proactive-relationally aggressive children seemed to have deficits in the emotional components of the SIP was discussed.

This study examined the effects of "finding positive meaning" coping on positive affect (PA) and health with methodological modifications to overcome limitations in Yamasaki et al. (2009). Participants in the intervention group (14 men and 15 women) reported the most stressful event during the past three days and its positive meaning, while those in the control group (16 men and 15 women) reported only the most stressful event. Both groups reported twice a week for nine successive weeks via e-mails. Four self-report questionnaires measuring the intervention effects were administered to all participants. Results showed that PA and two of the health variables (social dysfunction and depression) were improved in both men and women by this intervention. Furthermore, hierarchical regression and mediation analyses showed that the enhanced coping following intervention increased PA, which in turn improved mental health status. Study limitations and possibilities for a self-control type of primary prevention were discussed.

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This study examined the relations of positive affect (PA) to the coping strategy of 'finding positive meaning' and to health. Participants in the intervention group (29 university students) wrote about a happy event once a week in an experimental room and noted happy events each day as homework for four consecutive weeks. In addition, they received a small present each time they left the room after writing. Participants in the control group (29 university students) wrote about and noted trivial neutral events instead of happy events, and they did not receive any small presents. Results showed that PA induced by this manipulation did not significantly enhance coping but did significantly improve health status on several self-report scales.