Study of Emotion Regulation Based on Yogic Personality Using Implicit, Explicit, and Eye Tracking Techniques

CONTEXT: Emotion regulation (ER) is vital for well-being. Yogic personality traits, gunas, influence the expression of ER. AIMS: To investigate the expression of ER based on guna-related personality traits employing explicit, implicit, and objective eye-tracking techniques. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Quota sampling was used, with a cross-sectional design with three groups, sattva, rajas, and tamas. Three hundred and ninety-four female students were screened and finally, 30 from sattva, 34 from rajas, and 36 from tamas were analyzed. METHODS: Participants were given State and Trait Mindfulness Scales, Gita Inventory, Social Desirability Scale, state-trait anxiety inventory, Adult Attachment Scale, and Emotional Regulation Questionnaire. ER-Implicit Association Test (ER-IAT) and Eye Tracker were also used to evaluate the participants. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: One-way repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to examine differences between sattva, rajas, and tamas. RESULTS: Sattva group adopted a higher level of regulation strategy, ER-IAT scores were positive for sattva, negative for rajas and tamas. Mindfulness was highest and anxiety was least in sattva. In the eye tracker, within the non-emotional areas of interest (eAOI) regions of pleasant condition, and eAOI regions of unpleasant condition, sattva group had considerably higher dwell time. Pupil dilation was lowest in sattva for all the conditions, both within and outside eAOIs. CONCLUSIONS: Sattva guna was found to foster healthy ER, and other psychological attributes. Conscious cultivation of sattva is needed for healthy emotional life.