Better out than in: The influence of anger regulation on physical performance

We examined the influence of individual differences in anger regulation as potential moderators of the anger–performance relationship. Extending Lazarus, 1991 and Lazarus, 2000a cognitive–motivational–relational theory of emotion, we investigated the influence of trait anger and the anger regulation styles of anger-in and anger-out on the performance of a physical task. As hypothesized, trait anger and anger-out were positively associated with anger-derived performance enhancement on a peak force task; anger-in significantly inhibited the trait anger–performance relationship. Results are discussed in relation to Lazarus’s cognitive–motivational–relational theory and future research directions are offered.