Emotion Regulation Questionnaire ERQ

The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) is a self-assessment tool developed in 2003 by the team of Stanford University psychology professor James J. Gross. It measures cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, the two most commonly used emotion regulation strategies, with 10 questions in total. It is currently the most cross-culturally adaptable and widely used emotion regulation screening tool in the world. It can be used for clinical psychological assessment and as a reference for the general population's self-awareness of emotions.

Speaking of which, the first time I came into contact with ERQ was when I was conducting a general psychological test for college freshmen in 2020. At that time, there were four or five emotion-related scales to choose from, some of which required more than 40 questions. The simple questions made people dizzy. During the test, many students made random choices halfway through the test. In the end, we settled on the ERQ - 10 questions can be filled in as quickly as 2 minutes, with almost no answering burden. Moreover, its accuracy and stability have been verified by research in more than 200 countries and regions around the world. Even if it is filled out by people of different cultures and different ages, the results have reference value.

When you get the question, you will most likely be stunned: That’s it? There are really no obscure terms. Most of the questions on the cognitive reappraisal dimension are "When I want to reduce negative emotions, I will change my view on the matter." Whether I'm happy or sad, I try not to show it. "I usually don't show it when I'm emotional." Respondents only need to choose the level that suits them based on the 1-7 point scale. The last two dimensions are scored separately. The higher the score, the more accustomed you are to using this type of strategy.

What particularly impressed me was that there was a sophomore boy in the general test. His cognitive rescore was only 3.1, but his expressive inhibition score shot up to 6.7. Later, I asked him to come to the consulting room to talk. He said that his parents had taught him since he was a child that "boys shouldn't cry" and "should handle their emotions alone." The last time he had a conflict with his roommate, he kept it secret for half a month. He suffered from insomnia and acne every day, and he didn't know what was wrong. The ERQ score was like a portal, helping him quickly discover the emotional habits he had neglected for many years.

Interestingly, the evaluation of this scale in the industry is actually quite polarized. Two years ago, a colleague who practices acceptance and commitment therapy complained to me that the ERQ was "an antique from the last century." After all, the current research on emotion regulation has long gone beyond cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. It does not cover the new strategic dimensions of acceptance, mindfulness, rumination, and avoidance, and the test results are too one-sided. There are also studies that have specifically mentioned the issue of cultural adaptation: In collectivist cultures, expression inhibition is often a manifestation of politeness, such as not losing your temper in front of elders and not showing excessive emotions in public. The expressive inhibition score of our domestic people is generally higher than that of European and American people, but this does not mean that the risk of psychological problems is higher. It is easy to cause problems if you apply Western normative standards.

My own experience after using it for almost 5 years is that you should never take the ERQ score as an edict. I once met a client whose cognitive reappraisal reached 6.9. At first glance, she seemed to be the type who is particularly good at regulating emotions. After chatting with her, I realized that her so-called "thinking from another perspective" was all self-rationalization: when she was scolded by her boss for no reason, she thought "I didn't do a good job", and when a friend refused to repay money, she thought "he must also have difficulties". In essence, it was self-attack and not a healthy cognitive reappraisal at all. After all, ERQ is a quick screening test strip for emotional habits. It can only help you locate the direction of the problem, but cannot directly make a diagnosis.

In fact, ordinary people can also use it for self-awareness. I fill it out twice a year. Last year, when I was under lockdown at home, my expression inhibition score was 2 points higher than usual. At that time, I realized that I had been holding back too many emotions recently and had not released them. I made a special appointment to complain to my friends through the screen for two hours, and also followed the live broadcast for a week. After half a month, the test dropped back to the normal level. Don’t worry about your scores. If you find that you scored high on almost every expressive inhibition question when filling out the questions, you might as well stop and think about it: When was the last time you expressed your emotions properly?

After all, tools are always dead. Being able to pass those 10 simple questions and catch a glimpse of the little emotional habits that you usually don't notice is its greatest value.