Emotion malleability beliefs and event intensity and importance predict emotion regulation in daily life

Abstract

Emotion malleability beliefs facilitate adaptive emotion regulation and, in turn, well-being. We aimed to develop a more nuanced understanding of how emotion malleability beliefs, event intensity, and event importance predict emotion regulation. Participants (N = 107) rated their emotion malleability beliefs before completing 5–7 daily diaries, rating the intensity and importance of a negative event and their use of 22 emotion regulation strategies in response to each event. Emotion malleability beliefs positively predicted use of cognitive change strategies, especially for more important events. Malleability beliefs interacted with importance and intensity to predict expressive suppression. There were limited associations between malleability beliefs and other strategies. The findings suggest that emotion malleability beliefs are tied to the use of specific strategies rather than emotion regulation overall and highlight the importance of considering how individual differences predict intra-individual variation in emotion regulation across different emotional events.