Goals, Emotions, Moods, and Strategies (GEMS) 2024

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Citation article

Title:
Why don't people regulate their emotions?
Authors:
Uchida, A., Greenaway, K. H., Tran, A., Tamir, M., & Kalokerinos, E. K.
Year of publication:
2025
Publication name:
-
Volume number:
-
Issue number:
-
Page numbers:
-
DOI or URL:
-
Publication type:
Refereed Journal Article

Study details

Baseline session:
Yes
Followup session:
No
Study design:
Participants completed a baseline questionnaire on Day 0 and then the following day commenced 7 days of experience sampling surveys where participants were prompted to complete 10 ESM surveys each day. In the baseline session, participants were asked a range of demographic questions and validated global self-report individual difference questions. The ESM surveys included a range of emotion related items which measured current affect, emotion-regulation strategies and intentions to regulate emotion. Each experience sampling survey asked the same set of items, however some follow up questions were only presented depending on participant's responses to previous items .
ESM measurement waves:
1
Ethics granting body:
---
Ethics protocol number:
29583
Location of participants (Countries):
Australia
Background information:
---
Languages:
English
Setting:
---
Collection platform:
---
Days of ESM data collection:
7
Number of ESM measures per day:
10
Sampling schedule:
signal-contingent
ESM schedule start time:
Participants selected from three start times: 7:30, 8:30 or 9:30
ESM schedule end time:
21:30, 22:30 or 23:30. The end time of the surveys depended on what start time participants selected, so that all participants received surveys within a 14 hour period.
ESM schedule duration:
---

Sample details

Type of sample:
Participants were aged between 18 and 66. 80% of participants identified as female, 17% as male, and approximately 3% either identified as non-binary or preferred not to identify their gender.
Recruitment information:
Participants were primarily recruited from the community (N=324) via online and in-person advertisements (e.g., University of Melbourne newsletters, flyers). A small number of participants (N=2) were recruited from a research experience program within the University of Melbourne psychology department, where undergraduate psychology students receive course credits for participating in research. Inclusion criteria included being over 18 years of age, within the Australian Standard Time Zone and participants were required to have a compatible iOS (8 or higher) or Android (6.0 or higher) phone. Participants were also required to pass baseline attention checks.
Incentives:
Community participants were reimbursed up to $70 in online gift vouchers for participation. University research experience participants received course credit for their participation. Both groups of participants received a set amount of either $20 or 0.5 course credits for completing the baseline session. The amount of credit/payment participants received for the ESM phase of the study depended on how many ESM surveys they completed.
Exclusions:
Initially, 333 participants were recruited for the study. 7 participants were excluded from the study. Of these excluded participants, 5 were excluded as they were outside the Australian Eastern Standard Time zone which was a requirement of the study. 1 participant was excluded due to failing baseline attention checks and 1 participant was excluded for not completing any ESM surveys. We excluded 206 ESM surveys in which the average response time per item was 1000ms or faster which indicated careless responding.
Number of participants:
326

Contact info

Contact:
Imogen Smith
Contact email:
imogen.smith.1@unimelb.edu.au
Selection Variable Info Assessment type Constructs
CREATED_TS Date and time ESM survey created ESM
SCHEDULED_TS Date and time ESM survey scheduled ESM
STARTED_TS Date and time ESM survey started ESM
UPLOADED_TS Date and time uploaded ESM
TOTAL_RT Total response time in ms ESM
AFFECT_INTRO The first set of questions ask about how you're feeling right now. ESM
AFFECT_INTRO_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
SAD How sad do you feel right now? ESM
SAD_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
TIR How tired do you feel right now? ESM
TIR_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
LONE How lonely do you feel right now? ESM
LONE_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
GUILT How guilty do you feel right now? ESM
GUILT_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
ANG How angry do you feel right now? ESM
ANG_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
STR How stressed do you feel right now? ESM
STR_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
ANX How anxious do you feel right now? ESM
ANX_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
HAP How happy do you feel right now? ESM
HAP_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
ENERG How energetic do you feel right now? ESM
ENERG_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
LOV How loving do you feel right now? ESM
LOV_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
RLX How relaxed do you feel right now? ESM
RLX_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
GRATE How grateful do you feel right now? ESM
GRATE_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
MOOD_V_EMO Are any of your current feelings related to a situation/event/person? ESM
MOOD_V_EMO_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
EMO_CHOICE_1 Which feelings are you experiencing in relation to a situation/event/person? Select all that apply: Sad ESM
EMO_CHOICE_2 Which feelings are you experiencing in relation to a situation/event/person? Select all that apply: Tired ESM
EMO_CHOICE_3 Which feelings are you experiencing in relation to a situation/event/person? Select all that apply: Lonely ESM
EMO_CHOICE_4 Which feelings are you experiencing in relation to a situation/event/person? Select all that apply: Guilty ESM
EMO_CHOICE_5 Which feelings are you experiencing in relation to a situation/event/person? Select all that apply: Angry ESM
EMO_CHOICE_6 Which feelings are you experiencing in relation to a situation/event/person? Select all that apply: Stressed ESM
EMO_CHOICE_7 Which feelings are you experiencing in relation to a situation/event/person? Select all that apply: Anxious ESM
EMO_CHOICE_8 Which feelings are you experiencing in relation to a situation/event/person? Select all that apply: Happy ESM
EMO_CHOICE_9 Which feelings are you experiencing in relation to a situation/event/person? Select all that apply: Energetic ESM
EMO_CHOICE_10 Which feelings are you experiencing in relation to a situation/event/person? Select all that apply: Loving ESM
BFI_3 Tends to be disorganized Baseline
EMO_CHOICE_11 Which feelings are you experiencing in relation to a situation/event/person? Select all that apply: Relaxed ESM
EMO_CHOICE_12 Which feelings are you experiencing in relation to a situation/event/person? Select all that apply: Grateful ESM
EMO_CHOICE_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
MOOD_CAUSE_1 What are your current feelings related to? Select all that apply: Body/ physical sensations ESM
MOOD_CAUSE_2 What are your current feelings related to? Select all that apply: Personality ESM
MOOD_CAUSE_3 What are your current feelings related to? Select all that apply: World in general ESM
MOOD_CAUSE_4 What are your current feelings related to? Select all that apply: Past feelings ESM
MOOD_CAUSE_5 What are your current feelings related to? Select all that apply: Don’t know ESM
MOOD_CAUSE_6 What are your current feelings related to? Select all that apply: Other ESM
MOOD_CAUSE_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
SOC_INT In the last hour, who were you mostly with? ESM
SOC_INT_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
ER_TRY In the past hour, did you try to influence your feelings? ESM
ER_TRY_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
NO_INF_MOT_1 Please tell us why you didn’t try to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: My feelings were valid ESM
NO_INF_MOT_2 Please tell us why you didn’t try to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: There was nothing I could do in the situation ESM
NO_INF_MOT_3 Please tell us why you didn’t try to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: My feelings were too strong ESM
NO_INF_MOT_4 Please tell us why you didn’t try to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: It didn’t cross my mind ESM
NO_INF_MOT_5 Please tell us why you didn’t try to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: I didn’t want to make things worse ESM
NO_INF_MOT_6 Please tell us why you didn’t try to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: I was focused on others ESM
NO_INF_MOT_7 Please tell us why you didn’t try to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: I didn’t know how ESM
NO_INF_MOT_8 Please tell us why you didn’t try to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: There were none to influence ESM
NO_INF_MOT_9 Please tell us why you didn’t try to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: I wanted to use my feelings to help me do something ESM
NO_INF_MOT_10 Please tell us why you didn’t try to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: I don’t have a reason ESM
NO_INF_MOT_11 Please tell us why you didn’t try to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: Another reason not listed here ESM
NO_INF_MOT_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
USFL_POS In the last hour, how helpful were your positive feelings? ESM
USFL_POS_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
USFL_NEG In the last hour, how helpful were your negative feelings? ESM
USFL_NEG_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
CTRL_POS In the last hour, how much control did you have over your positive feelings? ESM
CTRL_POS_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
CTRL_NEG In the last hour, how much control did you have over your negative feelings? ESM
CTRL_NEG_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
INF_MOT_1 Please tell us why you tried to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: To feel better ESM
ER_INTRO_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
INF_MOT_2 Please tell us why you tried to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: To feel worse ESM
INF_MOT_3 Please tell us why you tried to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: To do/achieve something (e.g., work or study) ESM
INF_MOT_4 Please tell us why you tried to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: To build or maintain a social relationship ESM
INF_MOT_5 Please tell us why you tried to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: To help me pursue another personally important goal ESM
INF_MOT_6 Please tell us why you tried to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: To learn something ESM
INF_MOT_7 Please tell us why you tried to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: To grow as a person ESM
INF_MOT_8 Please tell us why you tried to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: I don’t have a reason ESM
INF_MOT_9 Please tell us why you tried to influence your feelings. Select all that apply: Another reason not listed here ESM
INF_MOT_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
INC_POS In the past hour, how much did you try to increase your positive feelings? ESM
INC_POS_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
DEC_POS In the past hour, how much did you try to decrease your positive feelings? ESM
DEC_POS_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
INC_NEG In the past hour, how much did you try to increase your negative feelings? ESM
INC_NEG_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
DEC_NEG In the past hour, how much did you try to decrease your negative feelings? ESM
DEC_NEG_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
ER_INTRO The last set of questions ask to what extent you have done various things with the aim of influencing/changing your feelings, in the last hour. ESM
SUPR In the last hour, have you avoided expressing your feelings? ESM
SUPR_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
DIST In the last hour, have you distracted yourself from your feelings (or their cause)? ESM
DIST_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
SOCSHR In the last hour, have you talked with someone about your feelings? ESM
SOCSHR_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
SITSEL In the last hour, have you chosen which situation(s) to put yourself in? ESM
SITSEL_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
REAP In the last hour, have you thought of other ways to interpret your feelings (or their cause)? ESM
REAP_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
RUM In the last hour, have you continually thought about your feelings (or their cause)? ESM
RUM_RT Response time for the relevant variable. ESM
SurveyNumber Number of ESM surveys received ESM
survey_completed Whether the ESM survey was completed ESM
number_completed Total number of ESM surveys completed by the participant ESM
ESM_schedule.x Participant's ESM survey schedule Baseline
number_sent Total number of ESM surveys sent to particpant ESM
SCHEDULED_TS_dt_lag Date and time of previous scheduled survey ESM
inter_survey_interval Time in minutes between momentary and previous ESM survey ESM
RecordedDate Date and time baseline complete Baseline
Phone To make sure you can participate, please tell us what type of smartphone you have. Baseline
consent I have read the above information and consent to participate in this project (please select one) Baseline
BFI_1 Tends to be quiet Baseline
BFI_2 Is compassionate, has a soft heart Baseline
BFI_4 Worries a lot Baseline
BFI_5 Is fascinated by art, music, or literature Baseline
BFI_6 Is dominant, acts as a leader Baseline
BFI_7 Is sometimes rude to others Baseline
BFI_8 Has difficulty getting started on tasks Baseline
BFI_9 Tends to feel depressed, blue Baseline
BFI_10 Has little interest in abstract ideas Baseline
BFI_11 Is full of energy Baseline
BFI_12 Assumes the best about people Baseline
BFI_13 Is reliable, can always be counted on Baseline
BFI_14 Is emotionally stable, not easily upset Baseline
BFI_15 Is original, comes up with new ideas Baseline
BFI_16 Is outgoing, sociable Baseline
BFI_17 Can be cold and uncaring Baseline
BFI_18 Keeps things neat and tidy Baseline
BFI_19 Is relaxed, handles stress well Baseline
BFI_20 Has few artistic interests Baseline
BFI_21 Prefers to have others take charge Baseline
BFI_22 Is respectful, treats others with respect Baseline
BFI_23 Is persistent, works until the task is finished Baseline
BFI_24 Feels secure, comfortable with self Baseline
BFI_25 Is complex, a deep thinker Baseline
BFI_26 Is less active than other people Baseline
BFI_27 Tends to find fault with others Baseline
BFI_28 Can be somewhat careless Baseline
BFI_29 Is temperamental, gets emotional easily Baseline
BFI_30 Has little creativity Baseline
BFI_31 This question is to make sure you are reading. Please select 'Disagree strongly' Baseline
ULS_4_1 Is unhappy doing so many things alone Baseline
ULS_4_2 Has superficial social relationships Baseline
ULS_4_3 No one really knows me well Baseline
ULS_4_4 Finds it difficult to make friends Baseline
RRS_1 Think “What am I doing to deserve this?” Baseline
RRS_2 Think “Why do I always react this way?” Baseline
RRS_3 Think about a recent situation, wishing it had gone better Baseline
RRS_4 Think “Why do I have problems other people don’t have?” Baseline
RRS_5 Think “Why can’t I handle things better?” Baseline
RRS_6 Analyse recent events to try to understand why you are depressed Baseline
RRS_7 Go away by yourself and think about why you feel this way Baseline
RRS_8 Write down what you are thinking and analyse it Baseline
RRS_9 Analyse your personality to try to understand why you are depressed Baseline
RRS_10 Go someplace alone to think about your feelings Baseline
RESS_1 Thinking repeatedly about what was bothering me Baseline
RESS_2 Using facial expressions to show that I was upset Baseline
RESS_3 Acting like I was not upset Baseline
RESS_4 Letting my emotions show Baseline
RESS_5 Vocalizing how I was feeling Baseline
RESS_6 Focusing on slowing my heart rate and breathing Baseline
RESS_7 Showing my feelings Baseline
RESS_8 Trying to slow my heart rate and breathing Baseline
RESS_9 Immediately working on something to keep myself busy Baseline
RESS_10 Continually thinking about what was bothering me Baseline
RESS_11 Making sure no one could tell what I was feeling Baseline
RESS_12 Doing something else to distract myself Baseline
RESS_13 Trying to see the emotional event from a different perspective Baseline
RESS_14 Pretending I was not upset Baseline
RESS_15 Going over the emotional event again and again in my mind Baseline
RESS_16 Looking at the emotional event from a different perspective Baseline
RESS_17 Identifying different angles to see the situation Baseline
RESS_18 Thinking of other ways to interpret the situation Baseline
RESS_19 Engaging in something else to keep busy Baseline
RESS_20 Hiding my feelings Baseline
RESS_21 Taking deep breaths Baseline
RESS_22 Continually trying to decide what went wrong Baseline
RESS_23 Engaging in activities to distract myself Baseline
RESS_24 Decreasing the tension in my body Baseline
RESS_25 This question is to make sure you are reading. Please select 'Always' Baseline
LOC_1 Whether or not I get to be a leader depends mostly on my ability Baseline
LOC_2 To a great extent my life is controlled by accidental happenings Baseline
LOC_3 I feel like what happens in my life is mostly determined by powerful people Baseline
LOC_4 Whether or not I get into a car accident depends mostly on how good a driver I am Baseline
LOC_5 When I make plans, I am almost certain to make them work Baseline
LOC_6 Often there is no chance of protecting my personal interests from bad luck Baseline
LOC_7 When I get what I want, it’s usually because I’m lucky Baseline
LOC_8 Although I might have good ability, I will not be given leadership responsibility without appealing to those in positions of power Baseline
LOC_9 How many friends I have depends on how nice a person I am Baseline
LOC_10 I have often found that what is going to happen will happen Baseline
LOC_11 My life is chiefly controlled by powerful others Baseline
LOC_12 Whether or not I get into a car accident is mostly a matter of luck Baseline
LOC_13 People like myself have very little chance of protecting our personal interests when they conflict with those of strong pressure groups Baseline
LOC_14 It’s not always wise for me to plan too far ahead because many things turn out to be a matter of good or bad fortune Baseline
LOC_15 Getting what I want requires pleasing those people above me Baseline
LOC_16 Whether or not I get to be a leader depends on whether I’m lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time Baseline
LOC_17 If important people were to decide they didn’t like me, I probably wouldn’t make many friends Baseline
LOC_18 I can pretty much determine what will happen in my life Baseline
LOC_19 I am usually able to protect my personal interests Baseline
LOC_20 Whether or not I get into a car accident depends mostly on the other driver Baseline
LOC_21 When I get what I want, it’s usually because I worked hard for it Baseline
LOC_22 In order to have my plans work, I make sure that they fit in with the desires of people who have power over me Baseline
LOC_23 My life is determined by my own actions Baseline
LOC_24 It’s chiefly a matter of fate whether or not I have a few friends or many friends Baseline
PAQ_1 When I’m feeling bad (feeling an unpleasant emotion), I can’t find the right words to describe those feelings Baseline
PAQ_2 When I’m feeling bad, I can’t tell whether I’m sad, angry, or scared Baseline
PAQ_3 I tend to ignore how I feel Baseline
PAQ_4 When I’m feeling good (feeling a pleasant emotion), I can’t find the right words to describe those feelings Baseline
PAQ_5 When I’m feeling good, I can’t tell whether I’m happy, excited, or amused Baseline
PAQ_6 I prefer to just let my feelings happen in the background, rather than focus on them Baseline
PAQ_7 When I’m feeling bad, I can’t talk about those feelings in much depth or detail Baseline
PAQ_8 When I’m feeling bad, I can’t make sense of those feelings Baseline
PAQ_9 I don’t pay attention to my emotions Baseline
PAQ_10 When I’m feeling good, I can’t talk about those feelings in much depth or detail Baseline
PAQ_11 When I’m feeling good, I can’t make sense of those feelings Baseline
PAQ_12 Usually, I try to avoid thinking about what I’m feeling Baseline
PAQ_13 When something bad happens, it’s hard for me to put into words how I’m feeling Baseline
PAQ_14 When I’m feeling bad, I get confused about what emotion it is Baseline
PAQ_15 I prefer to focus on things I can actually see or touch, rather than my emotions Baseline
PAQ_16 When something good happens, it’s hard for me to put into words how I’m feeling Baseline
PAQ_17 When I’m feeling good, I get confused about what emotion it is Baseline
PAQ_18 I don’t try to be ‘in touch’ with my emotions Baseline
PAQ_19 When I’m feeling bad, if I try to describe how I’m feeling I don’t know what to say Baseline
PAQ_20 When I’m feeling bad, I’m puzzled by those feelings Baseline
PAQ_21 It’s not important for me to know what I’m feeling Baseline
PAQ_22 When I’m feeling good, if I try to describe how I’m feeling I don’t know what to say Baseline
PAQ_23 When I’m feeling good, I’m puzzled by those feelings Baseline
PAQ_24 It’s strange for me to think about my emotions Baseline
ATT_CHECK Based on the text you read above, what is your favourite drink? Baseline
EBQ_1 Once people are experiencing negative emotions, there is nothing they can do about modifying them Baseline
EBQ_2 People cannot control their positive emotions Baseline
EBQ_3 There is very little use for negative emotions Baseline
EBQ_4 Positive emotions are very unhelpful to people Baseline
EBQ_5 It doesn’t matter how hard people try, they cannot change their negative emotions Baseline
EBQ_6 People cannot learn techniques to effectively control their positive emotions Baseline
EBQ_7 People don’t need their negative emotions Baseline
EBQ_8 There is very little use for positive emotions Baseline
EBQ_9 People cannot control their negative emotions Baseline
EBQ_10 It doesn’t matter how hard people try, they cannot change their positive emotions Baseline
EBQ_11 Negative emotions are harmful Baseline
EBQ_12 People don’t need their positive emotions Baseline
EBQ_13 People cannot learn techniques to effectively control their negative emotions Baseline
EBQ_14 Once people are experiencing positive emotions, there is nothing they can do about modifying them Baseline
EBQ_15 The presence of negative emotions is a bad thing for people Baseline
EBQ_16 Positive emotions are harmful Baseline
SWLS_1 In most ways my life is close to my ideal. Baseline
SWLS_2 The conditions of my life are excellent. Baseline
SWLS_3 I am satisfied with my life. Baseline
SWLS_4 So far I have gotten the important things I want in life. Baseline
SWLS_5 If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing. Baseline
CESD_R_1 My appetite was poor. Baseline
CESD_R_2 I could not shake off the blues. Baseline
CESD_R_3 I had trouble keeping my mind on what I was doing. Baseline
CESD_R_4 I felt depressed. Baseline
CESD_R_5 My sleep was restless. Baseline
CESD_R_6 I felt sad. Baseline
CESD_R_7 I could not get going. Baseline
CESD_R_8 Nothing made me happy. Baseline
CESD_R_9 I felt like a bad person. Baseline
CESD_R_10 I lost interest in my usual activities. Baseline
CESD_R_11 I slept much more than usual. Baseline
CESD_R_12 I felt like I was moving too slowly. Baseline
CESD_R_13 I felt fidgety. Baseline
CESD_R_14 I was tired all the time. Baseline
CESD_R_15 I did not like myself. Baseline
CESD_R_16 I lost a lot of weight without trying to. Baseline
CESD_R_17 I had a lot of trouble getting to sleep. Baseline
CESD_R_18 I could not focus on the important things. Baseline
GAD7_1 Feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge Baseline
GAD7_2 Not being able to stop or control worrying Baseline
GAD7_3 Worrying too much about different things Baseline
GAD7_4 Trouble relaxing Baseline
GAD7_5 Being so restless that it's hard to sit still Baseline
GAD7_6 Becoming easily annoyed or irritable Baseline
GAD7_7 Feeling afraid as if something awful might happen Baseline
RELAT What is your relationship status? Baseline
Subjective_SES_lad Please select a number that corresponds to a position on the rung, that reflects where you think you stand at this time in your life relative to other people in Australia. Baseline
EAL Is English your first language? Baseline
GENDER What is your gender? Baseline
AGE What is your age in years? Baseline
ETHN What is your ethnicity? Please select all that apply. Baseline
NATION What is your nationality? (e.g. Australian) Baseline