The impact of chronotype on mental health and subjective well-being: the mediating role of emotion regulation strategies

Abstract

Multiple studies have shown that individuals with an evening chronotype tend to report greater mental health problems, such as higher levels of depression and reduced well-being, compared to those with a morning chronotype. The adverse outcomes associated with eveningness appear to be linked to a combination of biological, social, and psychological factors. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between chronotype and two emotion regulation strategies: cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. Furthermore, we explored whether these strategies mediate the association between chronotype and indicators of mental health and well-being. Participants completed the Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM), and based on the established chronotype cut-off criteria, 76 individuals were classified as morning types and 81 as evening types. The total sample consisted of 157 participants (107 women, 50 men; aged 19-42 years, M ± SD: 25.12 ± 4.53 years). All participants completed questionnaires assessing emotion regulation strategies, depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, and positive and negative affect. Evening types scored lower in cognitive reappraisal and well-being, and higher in expressive suppression and depressive symptoms. Controlling for age and gender, we found significant mediation effects, showing that the relationship between chronotype and depressive symptoms and between chronotype and subjective well-being might stem from lower cognitive reappraisal and higher expressive suppression among evening types. These findings suggest that adaptive emotion regulation strategies can positively impact well-being and reduce depressive symptoms, especially among evening types. These findings highlight the importance of targeted interventions to improve emotion regulation strategies in this population.