Background: The present study was conducted with the aim of comparing cognitive emotion regulation in two male groups, one suffering from cancer and the others cancer free.

Materials and methods: The sample included 100 hospitalized men suffering from cancer, and 100 individuals without cancer who were selected through purposive sampling. The samples filled out Garnefski’s cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire (CERQ-P). Data analyzed by independent t-test.

Results: The results showed that the cognitive emotion regulation index was significantly different between the two groups concerning five factors of blaming oneself, blaming others, acceptance, positive assessment, learning perspective and negative approaches of  cognitive emotion regulation (p˂0.05).

Conclusion: Efforts of patients with cancer for usage of positive approaches of cognitive emotion regulation determines the effect of these approaches on their physical and psychological welfare. In such a manner, a specific method that an individual uses for his/her emotion regulation may make him/her more adaptable to stressful situations, such as cancer, compared with other people.

Keywords: Mind- behavioral systems, Cognitive emotion regulation, Anxiety sensitivity, Cancer patients, Cognitive psychology, Behavioral inhibition and behavioral activation systems.