Sustainable regulation effects of implementation intention-based reappraisal on negative emotions: Longitudinal EEG evidence

Abstract: Implementation Intention-based Reappraisal (IIR) is a novel automatic emotion regulation strategy that combines implementation intentions (if-then plans) with adaptive cognitive reappraisal to regulate negative emotions without increasing cognitive load. Moreover, this regulation effect can generalize from specified situations (if situations) to unspecified situations. However, previous studies have not focused on whether the generalization effect of IIR is sustainable.
To address this gap, this study utilized EEG technology in combination with a picture-viewing task to longitudinally investigate the emotion regulation effects of IIR in the present and over the following week, using participants’ self-reported valence, arousal, and late positive potential (LPP) as indicators. Specifically, 51 valid participants were randomly assigned to the IIR group (25 individuals) and the control group (26 individuals). The two groups performed a picture-viewing task and all participants’ valence and arousal for picture stimuli were simultaneously recorded at both the IIR acquisition phase (Day 0) and the post-IIR acquisition phase (Day 1, Day 3, Day 5, and Day 7), and their EEG activities for picture stimuli were recorded on Day 0, Day 3, Day 7. After data reduction and preprocessing, behavioral analysis included 49 participants (24 in the IIR group, 25 in the control group), and EEG analysis involved 44 participants (22 in each group).
Subjective self-reported results revealed that, compared to the control group, the IIR group sustainably decreased valence and arousal ratings for bloody pictures (specified situations) from Day 0 to Day 7. Furthermore, the diminishing effect of IIR on arousal also consistently appeared in unspecified situations (non-bloody pictures), suggesting that the generalization effect of IIR was somewhat persistent. The event-related potential (ERP) results showed that, compared to the control group, the IIR group had smaller amplitudes of centro-parietal LPP (in the time window of 400 ~ 1500 ms) and frontal LPP (in the time window of 400 ~ 1100 ms) on Day 0, Day 3, and Day 7, suggesting that the sustainable effect of IIR was stable on LPP indicators. Additionally, there was a significant positive correlation between centro-parietal LPP (in the time window of 400 ~ 2500 ms) amplitude and arousal. Together, these findings suggest that IIR exhibits sustainable regulation and generalization effects on negative emotions.
In conclusion, IIR could sustainably regulate negative emotions and produce generalization effects as evidenced by both behavioral and ERP indicators. This study provides additional evidence supporting the stability and effectiveness of IIR in emotion regulation. In addition, these findings contribute to advancing the theory of automatic emotion regulation. Specifically, the present study not only supports the auto-motive model of nonconscious goal pursuit and the temporal processing model of controlled-automatic emotion regulation, but also extends these theories by demonstrating the stability and generalization of IIR’s effects on emotion regulation. Moreover, this study has certain clinical implications for interventions targeting emotional disorders. For example, IIR may be an effective approach for treating co-morbid symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorders.