Emotion Characteristics and Emotion Regulation Dynamics in Daily Life: Evidence for Non-Linear Relations

Emotion characteristics, like emotion intensity and perceived emotion controllability, shape how individuals regulate their emotions. While the link between emotion characteristics and emotion regulation strategies seems clear-cut for some strategies, findings are mixed for others. This study proposes that emotion regulation choice may be best understood in a non-linear framework, where individuals may not regulate emotions of low intensity and/or high controllability, because these emotions require little regulation, but also not emotions of high intensity and/or low controllability, because these emotions may be perceived as overwhelming and difficult to regulate. To test this hypothesis, we used data from a 60-day diary study in 79 adults (mean age = 22.29, SD = 6.08, 84% identified as female), who every evening reported on emotion characteristics (emotion intensity and controllability) and strategy use (distraction, rumination, reappraisal, expression, suppression, relaxation). In addition to single strategies, we also examined daily emotion regulation variability (i.e., the extent to which individuals vary in multiple strategies across time). We replicate some linear findings, including that expression, relaxation, and rumination were used with emotions of increasing intensity and uncontrollablility (for expression only). Importantly, we also provide novel evidence for non-linear relations, where suppression and reappraisal were used with emotions of average intensity and controllability, and less with emotions relatively low or high in intensity and controllability. In addition, individuals showed higher emotion regulation variability when emotions were relatively low or high in intensity and controllability. These findings combined highlight the value of considering non-linear relations when studying emotion regulation choice in daily life - both of single strategies and variability across multiple strategies.