Emotion reactivity research: Methodological differences make a difference

Operationalizations of emotion reactivity (ER) have changed rather dramatically over the past decade. Comparing the results across studies that use these diverse methods is difficult. The current article reviews and critiques these approaches to studying ER. Three desirable characteristics are identified: (a) using multiple diverse stimuli to assess emotions will enable researchers to characterize ER more completely, (b) incorporating measures of mood-triggering stimuli will enable researchers to avoid key confounds in ER-depression research, and (c) using multilevel statistical approaches will enable researchers to differentiate the within- versus between-person aspects of ER. Studies that use measures that lack one or more of these characteristics may generate incomplete if not systematically biased results. An idiothetic ER approach is described that incorporates these strengths and may help to resolve contradictions that pervade ER-depression research. Implications emerge for clinical research and practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).