Using reappraisal to regulate negative emotion after the 2016 U.S. Presidential election: Does emotion regulation trump political action?

Abstract

Political action (volunteering, protesting) is central to functioning democracies, and action is often motivated by negative emotion. However, theories of emotion regulation suggest that people often strive to decrease such negative emotions. Thus, effective emotion regulation (e.g., reappraisal)-while helping people feel better-could have the unintended consequence of hindering political action. We tested this hypothesis in Clinton voters after the 2016 U.S. election (N = 1552). Studies 1a (conducted November 2016) and 1b (conducted November 2016, with a follow-up in January 2017) assessed individuals' recent use of reappraisal in managing emotions evoked by the election. Studies 2a and 2b (conducted March 2017) exposed individuals to Trump-focused news footage and assessed individuals' reappraisal during the clip and subsequent emotional responses. Studies 3a and 3b (conducted June 2017) experimentally manipulated reappraisal and measured subsequent emotional responses to Trump-focused news footage. Each study assessed recent or intended political action. In Studies 1a and 1b, we found that reappraisal predicted lower political action; in Studies 2a and 2b we observed an indirect effect such that reappraisal predicted lower negative emotion which in turn accounted for lower intentions to engage in political action; and Studies 3a and 3b provided experimental evidence for this indirect effect. These results suggest that effective emotion regulation like reappraisal may be beneficial in the short-run by helping restore emotional well-being after upsetting political events but may also be costly in the long-run by reducing the potential for productive political action. (PsycINFO Database Record

Mental illness and well‐being: an affect regulation perspective

“…For instance, in a context where a frustrating situation can be improved, it is sensible to try to change the situation rather than to use cognitive strategies to change how the situation is appraised. By contrast, in a context where nothing much could be done to improve the situation, it is sensible to use cognitive rather than situational strategies.…”

Rebel with a Cause: Personal Significance from Political Activism Predicts Willingness to Self‐Sacrifice

“…On one hand, if experiencing positive emotions signals temporal satisfaction of a goal, such positive experiences could decrease the willingness to participate in subsequent actions. Moreover, recent research showed that lower negativity surrounding an issue obtained through reappraising the cause predicted weaker intentions to engage in political action (Ford, Feinberg, Lam, Mauss, & John, ). Thus, when positive experiences decrease negative affect associated with the cause they might reduce one's overall commitment to the cause.…”

How Do Young People Become Politically Engaged?

“…In a cross‐sectional study of college students’ participation in the Black Lives Matter movement and in efforts to support the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy (Hope, Keels, & Durkee, ), factors including race/ethnicity, immigrant status, prior activism, and experiences of discrimination predicted differential involvement. And new research indicates that adults who voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election and who regulated negative emotions effectively reported they were less likely to engage in political action after the election than adults who voted for Clinton who regulated negative emotions less effectively (Ford, Feinberg, Lam, Mauss, & John, ). Thus, young people with the same experiences may react differently to sociopolitical moments depending on race/ethnicity, personal experiences, or emotional reactivity.…”