Sometimes Less Is More: Appraisal Variability in Successful Reappraisal

People appraise situations in different ways, giving rise to affective responses that can be modified through reappraisal. It is not clear, however, whether effective reappraisal involves tailoring appraisals to situational demands—thereby expanding the number of appraisal profiles—or reusing particularly helpful appraisals across situations, thereby reducing the number of appraisal profiles. To address this question, we examined whether successful reappraisal relates to an expansion or a reduction in appraisal variability. In an online experiment (Sample A, N = 158) and a laboratory replication with facial electromyographic measurement (Sample B, N = 70), participants viewed and reappraised affective pictures and rated their subjective affect and appraisals along the dimensions of relevance, congruence, accountability, certainty, and controllability. We found that appraisal variability decreased during reappraisal, as indicated by a higher Gini index, and that the greater this reduction, the greater the reappraisal success, reflected in increased positive affect and decreased negative affect. Together, these results suggest that successful reappraisal involves a narrowing of appraisal profiles. This challenges the assumption that greater variability is always advantageous and highlights the need to better understand the mechanisms underlying this effect. Moreover, the findings underscore the value of examining discrete appraisal profiles and their variability for better understanding the cognitive mechanisms of reappraisal.