Regulating for a reason: Emotion regulation goals are linked to spontaneous strategy use

We investigated how individual differences in emotion regulation goals predict emotion regulation strategy use in daily life.

Across three studies, we assessed two common types of emotion regulation goals (hedonic, social) and strategies spanning the entire process model of emotion regulation. We conducted two studies using global measures with undergraduates (N = 394; 18-25 years; 69% female; 56% European American) and community members (N = 302; 19-74 years; 50% female; 75% European American), and a nine-day daily diary study with another community sample (N = 272; 23-85 years; 50% female; 84% European American).

Globally and in daily life, pro-hedonic goals were positively associated with all antecedent-focused strategies (situation selection, situation modification, distraction, and reappraisal), pro-social goals were positively linked to reappraisal, and impression management goals positively predicted suppression. Contra-hedonic goals were negatively associated with reappraisal and positively associated with suppression in some studies.

The reasons why people regulate their emotions are predictive of the strategies they use in daily life. These links may be functional, such that people typically use strategies that are suitable for their goals. These findings demonstrate the value of an individual difference approach and highlight the motivational component of emotion regulation.