Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 19, 2026
08:09
Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
Examining distinctions between polyregulation and single-strategy emotion regulation.
Jocelyn Lai1, Matthew H S Ng1, Tammy English1
1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis.
Emotion (Washington, D.C.)
|May 18, 2026
Summary
Polyregulation, the use of multiple emotion regulation (ER) strategies, is common in daily life. It occurs more with negative emotions and social contexts but requires more effort than single-strategy ER.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Emotion Regulation
Background:
- Polyregulation, the use of multiple emotion regulation (ER) strategies, is frequently observed.
- Research is needed to understand the contexts and outcomes of polyregulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the frequency, contextual predictors, and outcomes of polyregulation in daily life.
- To compare polyregulation with single-strategy ER in terms of effort, difficulty, and success.
Main Methods:
- 179 adults reported on recent events twice daily for 14 days.
- Data collected on contextual factors, ER use (single vs. polyregulation), effort, difficulty, and success.
Main Results:
- Polyregulation was common (53%), occurring more than single-strategy ER.
- Polyregulation likelihood increased with negative affect, event importance, and social presence.
- Polyregulation demanded more effort and difficulty than single-strategy ER, without improving success.
Conclusions:
- Polyregulation is a frequent and context-dependent emotion regulation strategy.
- While common, polyregulation is more demanding than single-strategy ER.
- Specific polyregulation approaches, like "redo," may be less successful.
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