Emotion Regulation Test — Free 10-Question Reappraisal & Suppression Check

A free emotion regulation check: when difficult feelings rise, do you mostly reframe the situation (cognitive reappraisal) or hold the feeling in without showing it (expressive suppression)? Ten questions, about three minutes, with a 0-15 score for each strategy.

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What's included

Questions: 10 items
Price: Free
Areas measured: Cognitive Reappraisal · Expressive Suppression

When this check is useful

Some days you brush off something upsetting as if it were nothing, only for the feeling to flood in once you get home. You might hide your expression after an unfair remark in a meeting and then lie awake at night, or find your mind settling as soon as you think, maybe they were just under pressure. People handle the same situation in different ways, and those ways shape relationships, stress and even bodily tension differently. If you are curious about the gap between enduring a feeling and working with it, it is worth looking at the strategies you currently use.

The check looks at two strategies widely studied in emotion research, five items each. Cognitive reappraisal changes the meaning you give a situation in order to adjust how strong the feeling gets, and is generally regarded as an adaptive strategy. Expressive suppression keeps a feeling from showing in your face or words and holds it inside; it is useful in the moment but can build strain on mind and body when it becomes a habit. The items were written by Soundary with reference to published literature; they cover the same topic as standard emotion regulation scales such as the ERQ but are different items, not a translation or adaptation of any instrument. It is a useful reference if you tend to swallow your feelings alone, or feel that your emotional ups and downs are affecting your relationships.

What to do with your result

The two strategies are scored separately, 0-15 each, and are not added into a total. For cognitive reappraisal, higher is the better direction: 12-15 means a strong ability to reinterpret situations flexibly, 9-11 is good and 5-8 is moderate. A score of 0-4 means you do not yet use reappraisal often, so begin by asking yourself in hard moments, is there another way to see this, or how will I remember this a month from now. Reappraisal is a skill that grows with practice.

For expressive suppression, higher means you hold feelings in more often. A score of 0-4 is a healthy balance of expressing and regulating as the situation calls for, and 5-8 is a natural level of occasional holding back. At 9-11 you hold back fairly often, so gradually add safe outlets such as confiding in someone you trust or writing things down. A score of 12-15 means you mostly bottle up difficult feelings alone; over time this can wear you down and show up as bodily signals like headaches or insomnia. Build a channel for sharing feelings, and if suppression comes with low mood or anxiety lasting several weeks, we recommend talking to a professional. This result is for reference and is not a diagnosis.

Checks that pair well with this one include the Rumination Scale, the Self-Kindness Check and the PSS stress check. Seeing whether you tend to brood after holding feelings in, and how gently you treat yourself, makes the background of your strategies easier to understand. Retaking every four to eight weeks lets you see the effect of practice.

How scores are interpreted

Cognitive Reappraisal

This is a generally adaptive strategy that regulates emotions by reinterpreting the meaning of a situation. A higher score means you utilize this strategy well.

0–4pts · Low Use of Reappraisal
It seems you do not yet frequently use the strategy of regulating emotions by looking at situations from different angles. Reappraisal is a skill that grows with practice, so start by asking yourself, 'Is there another way to look at this?' when you are having a hard time. If needed, it is also good to learn methods with a professional. This result is for reference purposes.
5–8pts · Moderate Use of Reappraisal
You are using the strategy of reinterpreting situations to some extent. If you practice a little more consciously, emotional regulation can become much easier.
9–11pts · Good Use of Reappraisal
You tend to make good use of the strategy of managing emotions by reframing your thoughts in difficult situations. Keep up this good habit.
12–15pts · High Use of Reappraisal
You have a strong ability to regulate your emotions by flexibly reinterpreting situations. This is a solid mental strength, so continue to make good use of it.

Expressive Suppression

This is a strategy of holding emotions in without showing them outwardly. A higher score means you frequently use suppression, which can become a burden on your mind if excessive.

0–4pts · Low Use of Suppression
It seems you are regulating your emotions by expressing them appropriately for the situation rather than forcing them down. Keep maintaining this healthy balance.
5–8pts · Moderate Use of Suppression
You sometimes tend to hold your emotions in. This is mostly at a natural level, but it is good to occasionally open up to someone you are comfortable with so that suppressed emotions do not pile up.
9–11pts · Somewhat High Use of Suppression
You frequently hold back your emotions without showing them outwardly. Repeated suppression can cause mental stress, so it would be helpful to gradually increase opportunities to express your emotions in safe and comfortable ways.
12–15pts · High Use of Suppression
It seems you generally hold difficult emotions in all by yourself. If this state continues for a long time, your mind can become exhausted, so we recommend creating an outlet to share your emotions and comfortably talking with a professional if needed. This result is for screening and reference purposes, so please check again over time.

Sample questions

1. When something upsetting happens, I try to look at the situation from a different perspective.
2. When I want to change my mood, I try to reinterpret the meaning of the situation.
3. In stressful situations, I change the direction of my thoughts to feel more at ease.
4. When negative emotions wash over me, I make an effort to view the situation more positively.

Thinking about yourself lately, please choose how well each statement describes you. There are no right or wrong answers, so please answer comfortably.

FAQ

How do I read my emotion regulation scores?

Five reappraisal items and five suppression items each score 0-3, giving 0-15 per strategy. Both use the same four bands, 0-4, 5-8, 9-11 and 12-15, but the direction differs: for reappraisal, higher means you handle emotions more flexibly, while for suppression, higher means you bottle feelings up more often, which can become a burden. The two scores are read separately, not added together.

What is wrong with holding feelings in? Isn't that just being an adult?

Adjusting how much you show in the moment is a mature skill, and suppression in itself is not bad. The problem is when it becomes your only method. If you always hold feelings in, the intensity stays the same while only the expression is blocked, so bodily tension rises, and because others cannot tell how you are, relationships tend to drift. If your suppression score is high, rather than forcing more expression, it helps to first add a strategy like reappraisal that works on the size of the feeling itself.

How do I practise cognitive reappraisal?

The simplest way is to write down the situation that stirred the feeling in one line, then answer beside it: is another explanation possible, what would a close friend say if this happened to them, and will this matter as much a year from now. This is not forcing the feeling to be positive; it is practising adding one more angle from which to see the situation. Two to three minutes once a day for a few weeks, and the questions start to come up on their own in hard moments.

How often should I retake it?

Because the way you handle emotions changes slowly, every four to eight weeks is a good interval. If you have started reappraisal practice or counselling, record a baseline at the start and compare two months later. Retaking it after an emotionally heavy event such as a job change or a breakup also shows which strategy you were leaning on during that time.

Source

The items in this test are a self-check adaptation based on the original instrument and literature below: Items written by Soundary with reference to published literature on emotion regulation strategies; not a translation or adaptation of any standardized instrument. The two strategies, cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, follow the framework of 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 (the ERQ), but the items and score bands of this check differ from it.

This is a self-screening tool, not a medical diagnosis. If the result concerns you, please consult a mental health professional.