How do we regulate other's emotions in the here and now? Interpersonal emotion regulation strategies and nonverbal behaviors in immediate social interactions

This study examined the immediate interpersonal emotion regulation and nonverbal behaviors that occur during short-term interactions. In Study 1, participants were asked to recall an experience of immediate interpersonal emotion regulation and asked about the regulation strategies they employed as well as their nonverbal behaviors. Based on factor analysis, six dimensions for emotion regulation strategies were established, labeled as cognitive support, socioemotional support, emotional amplification, attention deployment, hostility/denial, and cheering up. Meanwhile, among the nonverbal behaviors, five factors were extracted: touch, acceptance, rejection/avoidance, emphasis, and suppression/neutralization. Correlation analyses indicated that nonverbal behaviors were expressed in accordance with the intention of each regulation strategy. Study 2 was conducted using the vignette method, and supported the replicability of the key findings of Study 1. In addition, regulation strategies and nonverbal behaviors were found to differ depending on the type of the target's emotion. In the future, nonverbal behavior should be examined using experimental approaches.