Reappraisal

Reappraisal is a cognitive emotion regulation strategy in psychology that involves changing how one thinks about a situation in order to alter its emotional impact. Rather than trying to suppress feelings, reappraisal reframes the meaning of a stimulus or event to shift its affective significance.

Most reappraisal is deliberate and goal-directed, though it can occur automatically in some cases. Examples include viewing a social setback as an opportunity to learn, or interpreting a challenging task as within one’s means to solve. Reappraisal can aim to down-regulate negative emotions or, in some contexts, up-regulate positive emotions.

Neuroscience research shows that reappraisal engages prefrontal regions involved in cognitive control and then modulates activity in emotion-generating areas such as the amygdala. Effective reappraisal is typically associated with reduced subjective distress and lower physiological arousal when confronted with negative stimuli.

In clinical practice, reappraisal is a core component of many cognitive-behavioral therapies and is used to treat anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders. In healthy individuals, it can improve mood after disappointment and increase tolerance of aversive tasks. In research, it is a widely used paradigm for studying emotion regulation processes.

Limitations include variable effectiveness across individuals and contexts, and a dependence on available cognitive resources. Under fatigue or high stress, reappraisal can be less effective or effortful. It may not address the underlying trigger and can sometimes lead to emotional distancing if overused.

See also: emotion regulation, cognitive restructuring, affective neuroscience.