Emotion regulation (ERQ)
How you rethink situations or manage expression. Answer the app’s questionnaire and see your result right away.
Source · Gross JJ, John OP. Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes: implications for affect, relationships, and well-being. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2003;85(2):348–362. (Emotion Regulation Questionnaire) CareOps English translation of its existing Korean questionnaire. Wording, response choices and descriptive score ranges follow the CareOps version and have not been independently validated in English.
Emotion Regulation Questionnaire: two habits
The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire was published by James Gross and Oliver John in 2003. Out of many ways to handle emotions, it looks at two: reappraisal, changing how you think about a situation to change the feeling, and expressive suppression, keeping what you feel from showing. Six reappraisal items ask whether you shift your perspective to feel more positive or less distressed; four suppression items ask whether you keep both positive and negative feelings to yourself. This page uses an English translation of the CareOps version, which has not been independently validated in English.
Reading your results
Instead of one total, the result screen describes reappraisal and suppression separately as higher, middle or lower. The two vary independently, so you may use both often or lean on one. Holding back can be appropriate in some settings, but relying on it for a long time can leave you carrying more alone. A lower reappraisal score simply points to room you could build with practice.
A question to reflect on
Pick one moment this week when anger or hurt came up. Note whether you showed it or held it in, then write one different way of reading the same situation. Notice whether that reading changes the strength of the feeling even slightly.
Frequently asked questions
- How many questions are in Emotion regulation (ERQ), and how long does it take?
- There are 10 questions, and it usually takes about 2 minutes. For each question you choose one of 7 answers, from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree”. There are no right or wrong answers.
- Is holding back my emotions a bad thing?
- Sometimes not showing a feeling suits the setting. If you hold back in almost every situation, though, it is worth asking where those feelings eventually go.
- Does reappraisal just mean thinking positively?
- Not quite. It means looking at the same situation from another angle, which is different from forcing optimism that ignores the facts.
- I also hide happy feelings. Does that count?
- Yes. This questionnaire includes hiding positive emotions as suppression, because it looks at the habit of not showing feelings regardless of type.
- Do I need to sign in? Are my answers saved?
- You can see your results right away without signing in. Your answers are used only for scoring and are not stored on our servers.
- Can I bring these results into a counseling session?
- Use the analysis button at the bottom of the result screen to have a short conversation with Maeumi without signing in. After the conversation, you can continue in the app. The web conversation does not transfer automatically to the app.
- Can I share my results with a friend?
- Yes. Use Share at the top right of the result screen to send a friend the check itself, or share your result as a link or story image. A result link carries your scores inside the address only; it does not include your name or account, and nothing is saved on our side.