Self-Assessment
Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ)
How do you handle difficult emotions? Do you change the way you think about a situation, or do you hold back from showing how you feel? This assessment measures both approaches.
Your Results
Based on your responses to the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire
Your regulation profile
The ERQ measures tendencies, not abilities. Neither strategy is inherently "good" or "bad". Reappraisal tends to have more favorable outcomes in daily life, but suppression can be useful in specific situations, like staying composed during a high-stakes meeting.
From the Research
"Individuals who habitually use reappraisal have better interpersonal functioning and well-being than those who habitually use suppression."
Gross, J. J., & John, O. P. (2003). Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes: Implications for affect, relationships, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(2), 348-362. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.85.2.348
Two ways to regulate emotions
The ERQ measures two distinct strategies. Most people use both, but tend to favor one.
Change how you think
When it happens: Before the emotion fully develops
What it does: Reinterprets the meaning of a situation to change its emotional impact
Example: Thinking "this job rejection will help me find a better fit" instead of dwelling on the disappointment
Linked to more positive emotions and closer relationships (Gross & John, 2003)
Change what you show
When it happens: After the emotion has already formed
What it does: Inhibits the outward expression of your inner feelings
Example: Feeling anxious during a presentation but maintaining a calm, confident appearance
Can be useful in specific contexts, though chronic use is linked to lower well-being (Gross & John, 2003)
About the ERQ
The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire was developed by James Gross and Oliver John at Stanford University and UC Berkeley. Published in 2003, it grew out of Gross's process model of emotion regulation, which maps how different strategies intervene at different points in how emotions are generated.
The ERQ captures individual differences in two of the most studied regulation strategies: cognitive reappraisal (an antecedent-focused strategy that occurs before emotion fully develops) and expressive suppression (a response-focused strategy that occurs after). It has since been translated into more than 20 languages and is one of the most widely used measures in emotion regulation research.
Gross and John (2003) studied 1,483 undergraduates and found consistent patterns. People who regularly use reappraisal reported experiencing and expressing more positive emotion and less negative emotion. They also reported better interpersonal functioning and greater overall well-being.
Habitual suppressors reported experiencing less positive emotion, though their negative emotional experience was not significantly different. They also reported feeling less authentic in social interactions and had fewer close relationships.
One important finding: the two strategies are largely independent. The correlation between subscales was near zero (r = -0.01). This means a person can rely heavily on both, rarely use either, or favor one over the other.
Looking for where emotion regulation breaks down? The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) measures six areas where managing emotions can become difficult.
The ERQ shows solid psychometric properties. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) is 0.79 for the reappraisal subscale and 0.73 for the suppression subscale. Test-retest reliability across three months shows good stability, suggesting these reflect relatively stable individual tendencies rather than temporary states.
The scale shows expected relationships with related constructs. Reappraisal correlates positively with extraversion and positive mood. Suppression correlates with neuroticism and a sense of inauthenticity in social situations.
Average scores from the original sample (N = 1,483) were approximately 4.6 for reappraisal and 3.4 for suppression on the 7-point scale. Women tended to score slightly higher on reappraisal, while men scored slightly higher on suppression.
The ERQ measures general tendencies in emotion regulation. It does not diagnose any mental health condition. If you are struggling with managing your emotions, consider speaking with a licensed mental health professional who can provide personalized guidance.
Each subscale score is the average of its items, ranging from 1.0 to 7.0. There are no official clinical cut-off scores. The population averages shown (4.6 for reappraisal, 3.4 for suppression) come from Gross and John's 2003 study of undergraduate students and may not represent all populations equally.
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