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The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about...
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Context 1
... and an additional exclusion of nine duplicate IDs, our final sample included 21,644 participants from 87 countries/regions (63.41% female, 35.34% male, 0.45% other genders, 0.56% preferred not to say and 0.24% missing responses to the gender question; participants were aged 31.91 ± 14.52 yr (mean ± s.d.); see Supplementary Table 1 for sample size per country/region and Supplementary Table 2 for sample size per month). Of the 87 countries/regions represented, 37 had more than 200 participants, surpassing our 95% power criterion based on simulations in our power analysis (see detail in Methods, 'Power analysis'). ...Context 2
... included all 87 countries/regions in all analyses regardless of their sample sizes, except for Fig. 1, Supplementary Fig. 1 and Supplementary Fig. 2, where the 37 countries/regions with n ≥ 200 were analysed separately by country/ region. Effect sizes, frequentist statistics and Bayes factors for each of our hypotheses are presented in Table 2. Raw means and standard deviations for each relevant measure are provided in Table 3. ...Context 3
... regarding the shared effects of two brief reappraisal interventions. Consistent with the main hypotheses of the study, both reappraisal interventions combined (versus both control conditions combined) significantly decreased negative emotional responses (hypothesis 1) and significantly increased positive emotional responses (hypothesis 2) across all primary outcome measures (emotions in response to the photos related to COVID-19 from various news sources, state emotions after viewing all the photos and emotions about the COVID-19 situation; Table 2, rows 2-7; details of these measures are described in Methods). As shown in Fig. 1, this finding was consistent across the 37 countries/regions in which there were more than 200 participants (although all 87 countries/ regions were included in the analysis testing hypotheses regardless of their sample size, only the 37 countries/regions with n ≥ 200 were analysed separately by country/region for Fig. 1). ...Context 4
... regarding the unique effects of the two reappraisal interventions. Results revealed little to no support for our hypotheses regarding the differences between reconstrual and repurposing, as neither was reliably better than the other at reducing negative emotions or increasing positive emotions across outcomes (Table 2, rows 8-13; Supplementary Fig. 2). We hypothesized that reconstrual would produce greater decreases in negative emotional responses than repurposing (hypothesis 3), and data revealed supportive evidence for only one outcome (negative emotions about the COVID-19 situation; Table 2, row 10) out of the three measures of negative emotions. ...Context 5
... revealed little to no support for our hypotheses regarding the differences between reconstrual and repurposing, as neither was reliably better than the other at reducing negative emotions or increasing positive emotions across outcomes (Table 2, rows 8-13; Supplementary Fig. 2). We hypothesized that reconstrual would produce greater decreases in negative emotional responses than repurposing (hypothesis 3), and data revealed supportive evidence for only one outcome (negative emotions about the COVID-19 situation; Table 2, row 10) out of the three measures of negative emotions. The other two negative emotion outcome measures did not support that hypothesis. ...Context 6
... other two negative emotion outcome measures did not support that hypothesis. One outcome (negative emotions in response to the photos; Table 2, row 8) revealed that repurposing had significantly stronger effects in decreasing negative emotional responses than reconstrual, whereas the Bayes factor indicated inconclusive evidence. Another outcome (negative state emotions; Table 2, row 9) revealed no significant difference between types of reappraisal, and the Bayes factor indicated strong evidence in favour of the null hypothesis. ...Context 7
... outcome (negative emotions in response to the photos; Table 2, row 8) revealed that repurposing had significantly stronger effects in decreasing negative emotional responses than reconstrual, whereas the Bayes factor indicated inconclusive evidence. Another outcome (negative state emotions; Table 2, row 9) revealed no significant difference between types of reappraisal, and the Bayes factor indicated strong evidence in favour of the null hypothesis. ...Context 8
... also hypothesized that repurposing would produce greater increases in positive emotional responses than reconstrual (hypothesis 4), and data revealed supportive evidence for only one outcome (positive emotions in response to the photos; Table 2, row 11) out of the three measures of positive emotions. The other two outcome measures of positive emotions revealed no significant differences between the two reappraisal conditions. ...Context 9
... other two outcome measures of positive emotions revealed no significant differences between the two reappraisal conditions. The Bayes factors indicated strong evidence in favour of the null hypothesis for one outcome (positive state emotions; Table 2, row 12) and inconclusive evidence for another outcome (positive emotions about the COVID-19 situation; Table 2, row 13). Overall, there were no consistent differences across outcomes between reconstrual and repurposing in reducing negative emotions or increasing positive emotions in the current experimental context. ...Context 10
... other two outcome measures of positive emotions revealed no significant differences between the two reappraisal conditions. The Bayes factors indicated strong evidence in favour of the null hypothesis for one outcome (positive state emotions; Table 2, row 12) and inconclusive evidence for another outcome (positive emotions about the COVID-19 situation; Table 2, row 13). Overall, there were no consistent differences across outcomes between reconstrual and repurposing in reducing negative emotions or increasing positive emotions in the current experimental context. ...Context 11
... As shown in Table 2 for hypothesis 1b, participants who were in the two reappraisal conditions reported less negative state emotions than participants who were in the two control conditions (B = 0.185 ± 0.013, t(36.39) = 14.401, ...Similar publications
Aim of the study
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many people’s standard operating procedures in ways that require behavioral and psychological adjustments. Research indicates widespread stress and anxiety during the pandemic. What is still less known is which pandemic-influenced factors are most directly impacting psychological wellbeing, and wh...
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about...
Antecedentes:
Tras el confinamiento, la escuela se adaptó a las restricciones para controlar el COVID-19. Evaluamos si el regreso al colegio constituyó un estresor para los niños o contribuyó a su recuperación tras el impacto del confinamiento. Método: Participaron 291 familias con niños entre 3 y 11 años. Los padres evaluaron a los niños a través...
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in heightened feelings of loneliness due to lockouts and social restrictions.
In the present study, we examined the association of loneliness during the pandemic with anxiety and depression, while exploring the moderating role of the tendency to use two emotion-regulation strategies (expressive suppression, cognitive...
Citations
... One way to accomplish this goal might involve online, scalable, and low-cost interventions aimed at reducing negative and increasing positive emotions (K. Wang et al., 2021). Among host nationals, emotion regulation may help them navigate affective experiences that come with the exposure to different cultural ideals and values (De Leersnyder et al., 2013). ...
Mass migration and COVID-19 represent two converging challenges affecting immigrant-receiving countries. Our understanding of intergroup emotion profiles—positive (happiness, hope, and sympathy) and negative (anger, fear, and disgust)—among members of immigrant destination societies in times of global uncertainty remains limited. Drawing from panel samples from nine countries (N=13,645), and controlling for relevant covariates, we aimed to extract latent profiles of intergroup emotions and map these profiles onto perceived COVID-19-related threats, immigrant contact, political predispositions, dark triad traits, and prejudice. We identified six latent profiles with patterns suggesting that positive interactions with immigrants are significantly correlated with positive emotional response and lower perceived pandemic threat. Societies facing mass immigration in the wake of COVID-19 may benefit from interventions and policies that promote positive and close experiences with immigrants, thereby reducing negative emotions and fostering positive emotions toward newcomers among citizens.
... Previous studies showed inconsistent results in the association between negative emotion induced by threatening stimuli and intertemporal decisions [55][56][57] . Despite these inconsistencies, negative emotions (e.g., fear, sadness) have been widely noted with pandemic outbreaks globally [58][59][60] . We found the mediating role of emotional pathways counteracting the direct impact of perceived threats on intertemporal decisions. ...
Intertemporal decisions are crucial to survival, especially when humans are exposed to ecological threats. However, it remains unclear whether and how pandemic threats impact intertemporal choices across cultures. We conducted two studies in two cultural contexts (N = 1180). Study 1a found that Chinese who perceived more pandemic threats showed higher temporal discounting rates (i.e., preferred immediate smaller over delayed larger rewards), and this relationship was mediated by negative emotions. Study 1b, using threat priming, revealed that Chinese participants primed with a high-threat condition (depicting a pandemic threat) showed higher temporal discounting rates compared to those primed with a low-threat condition (describing the flu). Differently, Study 2a revealed that perceived pandemic threat levels of Americans did not directly predict temporal discounting rates. Using similar threat priming, Study 2b further confirmed that Americans in the high-threat priming condition showed no significant differences in temporal discounting rates compared to those in the low-threat priming condition. The current research deepens the understanding of the cultural difference in the impact of pandemic threats on intertemporal decision-making and further informs the development of interventions that promote individual future-oriented thinking in the face of pandemics.
... A number of recent studies have highlighted the negative side-effects of the pandemic on the psychological and social dynamics of human life (Browning et al., 2021;Psychological Science Accelerator Self-Determination Theory Collaboration, 2022;Wang et al., 2021). Owing to the significant decrease in social interaction, people's lives have been physically, financially, and socially restricted. ...
... Moreover, the negative emotions (such as anxiety, stress, boredom, or fear) experienced by our participants created a personal barrier that prevented them from focusing on their needs. Many studies have demonstrated that this experience is not unique to the participants of this study Wang et al., 2021;Wasilewski et al., 2021). Other research has found that a lack of personal space has hampered the fulfillment of needs for emerging adults, as well as for adults (Epifanio et al., 2021), adolescents (Brazendale et al., 2017;, and even children . ...
Purpose: This study explores the experiences of Turkish emerging adults during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic as regards their needs. Design/Methodology/Approach: In this context, 20 participants (10 males and 10 females) were recruited (March to April, 2020) using purposive snowball sampling in a phenomenological design. Data were collected via semi-structured online interviews and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings: We have explored several of the needs experienced by the participants (self-allocation, relational, physiological, career and physical). We also discovered some barriers (relational, physiological, educational, environmental, personal and financial) and facilitators (social support, technological support, physical facilities, educational support and personal traits) to address their needs. We finally asked what they do in order to fulfill their needs (behaviors for building relationships, behaviors for self-allocation, behaviors for career development, behaviors for physical health) Highlights: In light of the findings, It is important to design intervention studies regarding mental health problems that may arise due to emerging adults not being able to meet their needs during the Covid-19 period. In addition, it is recommended that steps be taken in line with the needs of emerging adults by taking into account the findings of this study in the face of possible situations that may be encountered similar to the Covid-19 period.
... Furthermore, there is evidence showing that people with high scores in the other-emotion appraisal and use of emotion dimension of EI were more likely to adopt proactive (task-oriented and emotionoriented) coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic 29 , whereas people with lower abilities of emotion regulation (as indicated by a higher use of expressive suppression and a lower use of cognitive reappraisal) were more likely to use maladaptive coping strategies (avoidance and self-punishment coping) in a study focused on suicidal behavior 36 . Higher EI levels may allow individuals to find better ways to cope with COVID-19 restrictions, such as dedicate themselves to hobbies and/or use the internet to stay in contact with friends and familiars 37 . Moreover, maintaining a correct social distance may be considered as an appropriate strategy to cope with the COVID-19 diffusion (just like washing hands frequently or wearing face masks): the evaluation of its costs and benefits should be therefore related to multiple EI dimensions. ...
... Cognitive reappraisal might likewise be useful to deal with COVID-19-related stress and appreciate the potential benefits of social distancing behaviors. In agreement, a large multi-country study by Wang et al. 37 showed that two brief reappraisal interventions, based on reconstrual or repurposing, were effective in reducing the negative emotions induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, without reducing intentions to practice preventive health behaviors. ...
The analysis of the benefits and costs of social distancing is a crucial aspect for understanding how individual and community actions can mitigate and manage the costs of a pandemic. In this study, we aimed to investigate the extent to which personality factors and emotional intelligence (EI) contributed to the subjective assessment of the benefits and costs of social distancing behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also aimed at determining whether EI served as a mediator in the relationship between personality traits and the evaluation of social distancing consequences. Data was collected via online surveys from a sample of 223 Italian-speaking participants (age: 30.78 ± 9.97; 86.1% females) between March and April 2021. Findings indicate that the tendency to prioritize the benefits of social distancing over personal costs was positively associated with emotional stability and emotion regulation, but negatively associated with extroversion. The following mediational analyses revealed that the emotion regulation facet of EI mediated the associations between personality dimensions (emotional stability and extroversion) and the evaluation of the costs and benefits of social distancing. These findings provide useful indications and implications for developing appropriate communication strategies aimed at reaching the general population and suggest that, during health-related crises, emphasis should be placed on offering courses and programs to improve and develop individuals’ EI.
... While cross-cultural studies were traditionally costly and difficult to conduct, emerging global platforms (e.g., Toloka and Besample) have made it possible to recruit participants from various countries, though researchers must manage data quality with care (Chapkovski et al., 2024). Consequently, big team science remains critical for performing comprehensive multi-country comparisons (e.g., Wang et al., 2021). ...
The Future of Affective Science special issue covered a broad range of topics, ranging from the valuation and experience of emotions to their expression and regulation. Despite the breadth of these topics, consideration of diverse contexts was limited in that most studies relied on Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) samples and/or failed to explore the rich diversity present in those countries with vast population heterogeneity. We argue that a more systematic approach is essential to advance theory and research on how diverse contexts impact and interact with different components of emotion processes. Specifically, future research should compare a wider range of cultures; examine the interplay between culture, individual, and situation; and transcend the traditional Eastern/Western or WEIRD/non-WEIRD dichotomy and other group comparisons by embracing a dimensional approach to diverse contexts. We provide concrete examples of how leveraging these three approaches to expand the scope of diverse contexts can benefit the future development of affective science, a field heavily impacted by sociocultural context.
... The pandemic caused similar increases in stress, anxiety, and depression worldwide (Salari et al., 2020). This population-wide impact on psychological health prompted efforts to develop and test scalable, low-cost, and easily implementable interventions to help mitigate the deleterious effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health (Boden et al., 2021;Schleider et al., 2022;Wang et al., 2021). Boden et al. (2021) described three categories of intervention based on population needs. ...
Research suggests that placebos administered without deception (i.e. non‐deceptive placebos) may provide an effective and low‐effort intervention to manage stress and improve mental health. However, whether non‐deceptive placebos administered remotely online can manage distress for people at risk for developing high levels of affective symptoms remains unclear. Volunteers experiencing prolonged stress from the COVID‐19 pandemic were recruited into a randomized controlled trial to examine the efficacy of a non‐deceptive placebo intervention administered remotely online on affective outcomes. COVID‐related stress, overall stress, anxiety, and depression were assessed at baseline, midpoint, and endpoint. Compared with the control group, participants in the non‐deceptive placebo group reported significant reductions from baseline in all primary affective outcomes after 2 weeks. Additionally, participants in the non‐deceptive placebo group found the intervention feasible, acceptable, and appropriate for the context. Non‐deceptive placebos, even when administered remotely online, offer an alternative and effective way to help people manage prolonged stress. Future large‐scale studies are needed to determine if non‐deceptive placebos can be effective across different prolonged stress situations and for clinical populations.
... Emotional distress intensified, marked by increases in negative emotions such as anger, fear, frustration, and boredom, and declines in positive emotions [3]. Sleep quality also deteriorated, evidenced by frequent reports of insomnia, delayed bedtimes, daytime sleepiness, and nightmares [4,5]. ...
Background
The Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic increased global psychological distress, emotional distress, and sleep disturbances, all known risk factors for compromised oral health. Despite this, there is limited understanding of the impacts of these psychological factors on oral health in certain populations, including Iranians. Thus, the present study investigates the associations between sociodemographic characteristics, emotional distress, sleep pattern changes, tooth brushing frequency, and oral ulcer reports in a sample of Iranian adults during the Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
Materials and methods
This cross-sectional, web-based study collected data from Iranian adults between July and September 2022 using respondent-driven sampling. The Mental Health and Wellness questionnaire was used to gather information on sociodemographic characteristics, emotional distress, sleep pattern changes, toothbrushing frequency, and oral ulcer reports. Simple and multiple logistic regression served for statistical analysis.
Results
Among the 240 participants, comprising 164 females and 76 males, with a mean age of 35.3 years (±13.3), 28 individuals (11.7%) reported reduced tooth brushing frequency, and 35 individuals (14.6%) reported oral ulcers. Male gender (OR = 2.75, p = 0.016) and sleep patterns changes (OR = 2.93, p = 0.01) increased the likelihood of reduced tooth brushing frequency. Additionally, being younger than 30 (OR = 2.87, p = 0.025) and fearing coronavirus transmission (OR = 3.42, p = 0.009) increased the odds of oral ulcers.
Conclusions
Male gender and sleep pattern changes were risk factors for reduced tooth brushing frequency among the present sample of Iranian adults during the Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Additionally, being under 30 and fearing coronavirus transmission were identified as risk factors for oral ulcers in this population. To preserve and promote adults’ oral health during public health crises, targeted educational initiatives, public health awareness campaigns, and integrated mental and oral healthcare approaches are encouraged.
... For the associations between performance level and SMI, both types of effect sizes seem impractical for our project's power analysis. The effect sizes in the literature are surprisingly large, as affect reappraisals usually have smaller effects on affective experience [69,70] than the observed effects on the performance, which seems a priori unlikely, given that the effect on performance is theoretically expected to be mediated by the effect on the affective experience. Thus, we are sceptical that the expectations based on effect sizes in the literature that affect reappraisal should have stronger effects on the performance levels than on the affective experience are realistic. ...
... We used one meta-analysis [70] and one recent large-scale study [69] to estimate the possible effect sizes. Meta-analysis shows that reappraisal has an average effect size of d = 0.45, 95% CI = [0. ...
... no instruction, instructions to experience naturally, instructions to not regulate in a specific manner or instructions to enhance or maintain the focal emotion). A recent large-scale study found similar effects of reappraisal interventions (versus controls) on positive affective experience d = 0.59 and on negative affective experience d = 0.39 [69]. ...
Affective responses during stressful, high-stakes situations can play an important role in shaping performance. For example, feeling shaky and nervous at a job interview can undermine performance, whereas feeling excited during that same interview can optimize performance. Thus, affect regulation—the way people influence their affective responses—might play a key role in determining high-stakes outcomes. To test this idea, we adapted a synergistic mindsets intervention (SMI) (Yeager et al. 2022 Nature 607, 512–520 (doi:10.1038/s41586-022-04907-7)) to a high-stakes esports context. Our approach was motivated by the idea that (i) mindsets both about situations and one’s stress responses to situations can be shaped to help optimize stress responses, and (ii) challenge versus threat stress responses will be associated with improved outcomes. After a baseline performance task, we randomly assigned gamers (n = 300) either to SMI or a control condition in which they learned brain facts. After two weeks of daily gaming, gamers competed in a cash-prize tournament. We measured affective experiences before the matches and cardiovascular responses before and throughout the matches. Contrary to predictions, gamers did not experience negative affect (including feeling stressed), thus limiting the capacity for the intervention to regulate physiological responses and optimize performance. Compared with the control participants, synergistic mindsets participants did not show greater challenge responses or improved performance outcomes. Though our adaptation of Yeager et al.’s SMI did not optimize esports performance, our findings point to important considerations regarding the suitability of an intervention such as this to different performance contexts of varying degrees of stressfulness.
... Empirical support for these predictions comes from singlesession experimental studies that have consistently reported that using cognitive reappraisal to change the meaning of photos, videos, or text-based stimuli can increase momentary positive affect and/or reduce momentary negative affect compared with other emotion regulation strategies or no strategies (Keng et al., 2013;Troy et al., 2018;Wang et al., 2021;Wolgast et al., 2011). These momentary affective benefits of reappraisal have also been shown across several experimental sessions in a longitudinal experimental study using photos as stimuli (Denny & Ochsner, 2014). ...
... Second, our study was brief and implemented entirely online and therefore reinforces recent work highlighting the feasibility of an online delivery of brief interventions (Miu et al., 2021;Naslund et al., 2017;Persich et al., 2021;Wang et al., 2021). While the debate over the utility of teletherapy continues (Schuster et al., 2020), one undeniable benefit that will become increasingly important in the context of equity and inclusivity is the accessibility of mental health services offered to those in need but who cannot easily commute to clinics or workshops. ...
People who report frequently using cognitive reappraisal to decrease the impact of potentially upsetting situations report better affective functioning than people who report using cognitive reappraisal less frequently. However, most work linking everyday reappraisal use to affective outcomes has been correlational, making causal inference difficult. In this study, we examined whether 2 weeks of daily practice of reappraising negatively valenced personally relevant events would improve affective functioning compared with a wait-list control. Data were collected between 2021 and 2022 from a sample mainly comprised of females (82%) and who identified as Asian (35%) or White/Caucasian (40%). Our planned analyses indicated that reappraisal decreased depressive symptoms and perceived stress as well as increased life satisfaction both immediately and 4 weeks postintervention. Reductions in depressive symptoms and perceived stress were mediated by increases in reappraisal self-efficacy. These findings support the causal efficacy of brief reappraisal training.
... Studies on individual differences in the use of emotion regulation strategies have led to a better understanding of emotional distress in general, and during the COVID-19 pandemic in particular [16][17][18]. Emotion regulation (ER) refers to any process that influences the manifestation, intensity, or duration of an emotional response [19,20]. ER tendencies can serve as significant predictors of parental outcomes during a pandemic, since they have been shown to moderate the association between specific personality traits [such as neuroticism] and mental health [18][19][20]. ...
... Emotion regulation (ER) refers to any process that influences the manifestation, intensity, or duration of an emotional response [19,20]. ER tendencies can serve as significant predictors of parental outcomes during a pandemic, since they have been shown to moderate the association between specific personality traits [such as neuroticism] and mental health [18][19][20]. The two most common strategies individuals use to regulate their emotions are known as suppression and reappraisal [17]. ...
... By contrast, reappraisal might have helped mothers see the pandemic restrictions in a more positive light, find ways to use this time more productively, and therefore experience fewer symptoms of distress. Previous works have shown the beneficial outcomes of reappraisal during the COVID-19 pandemic [16,18,20,24]. ...
Introduction
Mothers faced an increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to other populations. However, there is little data on the factors that placed mothers at increased risk of distress.
Aims
The present study explored a range of individual, familial, and environmental factors associated with psychological distress in mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Method
This repeated cross-sectional study was composed of a convenience sample of mothers who completed an online survey that included a demographic questionnaire, an emotion regulation questionnaire, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scale. The survey was administered during the second and third lockdowns in Israel in 2020–2021.
Results
The study included 575 mothers (M age = 39). The findings of a hierarchical regression indicated that individual-level factors, composed of age and emotion regulation tendencies predicted psychological distress. The family-level factors of household income and number of children in the family also predicted distress. In terms of environmental-level factors, COVID-19-related media consumption and school status (open or closed) were also significant predictors of psychological distress. Importantly, the results showed that the most important predictors of psychological distress in mothers during the COVID-19 outbreak were school closures, household income, and the use of adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies.
Conclusions
The findings highlight the intersection of individual, familial, and environmental factors in mothers’ mental health during crises.
