Men Do Not Suppress Emotions More than Women in Everyday Life: Evidence from Large Scale Experience-Sampling Data

Expressive suppression—hiding the outward expression of emotions—has been linked to negative mental health outcomes in Western samples. Despite common assumptions that men suppress emotions more than women, empirical findings are mixed and rely on global, trait-based self-reports. In a preregistered large-scale analysis of 11 experience sampling studies (N = 1,616; 106,120 observations), we examined gender differences in expressive suppression in daily life. While men reported greater habitual suppression than women on trait questionnaires, no such gender difference emerged in momentary reports of suppression in everyday contexts. Additionally, there were no gender differences in the types of emotion suppressed (overall negative emotion, anger, and sadness). These findings suggest that gender differences in suppression may reflect internalized stereotypes rather than behavioral reality. Our findings have potential implications for understanding gendered emotion norms, measurements, and interventions aimed at regulating emotions and mental health.