Alexithymia Is Linked with a Negative Bias for Past and Current Events in Healthy Humans

Silvia Barchetta, Gabriella Martino, Giuseppe Craparo, Mohammad A. Salehinejad, Michael A. Nitsche and Carmelo M. Vicario
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Silvia Barchetta: Department of Cognitive Sciences, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e Degli Studi Culturali, Università di Messina, 98122 Messina, Italy
Gabriella Martino: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98122 Messina, Italy
Giuseppe Craparo: Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, UKE-Kore University of Enna, Cittadella Universitaria, 94100 Enna, Italy
Mohammad A. Salehinejad: Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, 44139 Dortmund, Germany
Michael A. Nitsche: Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, 44139 Dortmund, Germany
Carmelo M. Vicario: Department of Cognitive Sciences, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e Degli Studi Culturali, Università di Messina, 98122 Messina, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-9

Abstract: Although research provides a rich literature about the influence of emotional states on temporal cognition, evidence about the influence of the style of emotion processing, as a personality trait, on temporal cognition is extremely limited. We provide a novel contribution to the field by exploring the relationship between difficulties of identifying and describing feelings and emotions (alexithymia) and time perspective. One hundred and forty-two healthy participants completed an online version of the TAS-20 scale, which measures alexithymia, and the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory, which monitors individual differences in time-orientation regarding the past, present, and future. The results show greater attention to past negative aspects in participants whose TAS-20 score was indicating borderline or manifest alexithymia, as compared to non-alexithymic individuals. Moreover, the higher the TAS-20 score, the higher the tendency was to focus on negative aspects of the past and interpret the present fatalistically. These results suggest that difficulties in identifying and describing feelings and emotions are associated with a negative bias for past and present events. Theoretical and clinical implications of this finding are discussed.

Keywords: time perspective; alexithymia; TAS-20; ZTPI; past-negative; present-fatalistic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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