Unpacking Reappraisal: Different Appraisal Shifts Underlie Reappraisal Effects on Valence and Activation

Reappraisal is a common emotion regulation strategy that involves adjusting how a situation is appraised. According to the reAppraisal framework (Uusberg et al., 2019), reappraisal operates through shifts along appraisal dimensions. To complement existing evidence, we investigated which appraisal shifts, measured at a more granular level, are involved in reappraisal targeting different affective states with different affective outcomes. In an online study (N = 510), participants read four illustrated vignettes designed to elicit positive and negative affect with high and low activation and rated appraisals of each situation before and after applying reappraisal. Latent change score models revealed that changes in affective outcomes following reappraisal were significantly associated with shifts in conceptually related appraisal dimensions. Specifically, changes in negative and positive affect were related to shifts in aspects of congruence, while changes in affective activation were associated with shifts in aspects of relevance and controllability. Reappraisals targeting different affective states relied on largely similar appraisal shifts. Many of our findings involved specific aspects of broader appraisal dimensions, underscoring the value of granular appraisal measurement. This study strengthens the case for considering appraisal shifts among the cognitive mechanisms of reappraisal.