Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

Abstract

FIU Wellness & Recreation Center

Emotion regulation plays an essential role in an individual’s well being. Recent research on regulation of positive emotions has linked savoring to better mental health outcomes, such as fewer depressive symptoms. In light of gender difference in depression, the current study aimed to examine the degree to which a certain savoring strategy (i.e., positive mental time travel) influences depression, and whether gender plays a role in this association. In this study, the sample size consisted of 546 college students (135 males; 411 females) who completed online questionnaires about their reactions to different emotional situations and their depressive symptoms. Our results showed there was no gender difference in depression. Higher levels of positive mental time travel were associated lower levels of depression, after controlling for age and social economic status. The results also indicated that gender did not moderate the association between the use of Positive mental time travel and depression. Overall, the findings suggest that using positive mental time travel is protective for depression and may help decrease depression for those who use it.