What is cognitive reappraisal?

• A. Reinterpreting a situation to alter its emotional impact.
• B. Inhibiting outward signs of emotion.
• C. Rumination on distress and its causes.
• D. Mindfulness-based attention to reduce reactivity to emotional stimuli.

Answer: (A)

Cognitive reappraisal is a way of regulating emotions by changing how you think about a situation to change how you feel about it. By reinterpret­ing the meaning of an event—seeing a setback as a learning opportunity or viewing criticism as helpful feedback—you can lessen the emotional impact before it fully unfolds. This is different from trying to hide emotions by suppressing outward signs, which doesn’t actually change the feeling and can have downsides. It also isn’t about dwelling on distress (rumination), which tends to intensify negative emotions. And it isn’t about nonjudgmentally observing thoughts to reduce reactivity (mindfulness); instead, it actively changes the interpretation of the event to alter the emotional response.