Effect of sense of control on emotional experience and response in Chinese undergraduate students.

Objective: Sense of control significantly influences emotional well-being. A lack of control over stressors induces negative affect, while control buffers the impact of stress in experimental animals. However, it is also unclear whether control or lack of control alters emotional response to subsequent stimuli in humans. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of sense of control on the emotional experience and response to emotional stimuli in undergraduate students. Methods: In Study 1, 488 participants were recruited to complete the questionnaires that included the Sense of Control Scale and Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS). In Study 2, 55 participants were randomly divided into a control group and a lack of control group. A concept identification task was used to manipulate the perceived control. The PANAS and a picture rating task were conducted before and after the manipulation. Results: In Study 1, The results revealed that the sense of control significantly predicted positive emotion (β = 0.28, Conclusion: Control did not significantly alter the emotional experience or response of individuals to emotional stimuli, whereas lack of control led to a decrease in positive affect and a decreased response to negative stimuli at the behavioral level.