ERQ: Emotion Regulation Questionnaire

The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) is a 10-item self-report scale that measures how often a person uses two emotion regulation strategies: cognitive reappraisal (changing how you think about a situation to change how you feel) and expressive suppression (holding back the outward expression of emotions). Respondents rate each statement on a 7-point scale, and the result is two separate scores, one per strategy. It is used in psychology research, clinical and counseling studies, and well-being programs.

The ERQ was developed by James J. Gross and Oliver P. John and published in 2003 in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. It is one of the most widely used short measures of emotion regulation and has been translated into many languages.

What the two scales measure

Reappraisal works early, before the emotional response fully develops. Suppression works later, on the expression of an emotion that is already there. Gross's process model of emotion regulation treats them as different points in the same sequence, which is why the ERQ keeps them as two independent scores. A person can score high on both, low on both or high on one only.

The answer scale runs from 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree, with 4 = neutral. Use the original item wording from the authors' publication or an official validated translation. Paraphrased items, like the ones found on many websites, are no longer the ERQ.

How to score the ERQ

1. Make sure every item has an answer from 1 to 7. There are no reverse-scored items.
2. Reappraisal score = the mean of items 1, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 10.
3. Suppression score = the mean of items 2, 4, 6 and 9.
4. Report the two scores separately. Each ranges from 1 to 7.

Some studies use sums instead of means (6–42 for reappraisal, 4–28 for suppression). Means are easier to read because they stay on the original 1–7 scale. Whichever you choose, state it in the method section.

Worked example

A participant answers the reappraisal items with 6, 5, 6, 7, 5, 6 and the suppression items with 3, 2, 4, 3.

• Reappraisal = (6 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 5 + 6) ÷ 6 = 35 ÷ 6 = 5.83
• Suppression = (3 + 2 + 4 + 3) ÷ 4 = 12 ÷ 4 = 3.00

This person reports using reappraisal often and suppression less often than the midpoint of the scale.

How to interpret the results

• Higher scores mean more frequent use of the strategy. They do not measure how well someone regulates emotions overall.
• There are no official clinical cut-offs. The ERQ is a research measure, not a diagnostic test. To call a score "high" or "low", compare it with the mean of a sample similar to yours (same age group, culture and language version) or with other groups in your own study.
• Context matters. In Gross and John's studies, habitual reappraisal went with more positive emotion and better well-being, and habitual suppression with less. That is a pattern across people. It does not mean suppression is always harmful, since hiding emotion can be appropriate at work or in some cultures.
• Reliability. Gross and John reported internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) of about .79 for reappraisal and .73 for suppression. Check alpha in your own sample, especially for a new translation.

Versions of the ERQ

• ERQ (adult version): the original 10 items.
• ERQ-CA: an adaptation for children and adolescents by Gullone and Taffe (2012) with simplified wording.
• Translations: validated versions exist in many languages. Use a published translation rather than translating the items yourself.

Common mistakes

• Adding everything into one total. The two scales measure different strategies, and a combined score has no meaning.
• Changing the answer scale. A 5-point version breaks comparison with published results.
• Rewording or dropping items. Even small edits change what an item measures.
• Using it as a diagnosis. The ERQ describes habits. Clinical decisions need clinical assessment.
• Ignoring context and culture when comparing groups, since norms for expressing emotion differ.

How to run the ERQ as an online survey

1. Start with a consent screen that explains the purpose, that participation is voluntary and how answers are stored. See informed consent.
2. Show the 10 items in the original order with the same 1–7 agreement scale, for example as a matrix question. Make every item required, so that no score is missing.
3. Keep the instructions from the original publication: people describe how they usually handle their emotions, and there are no right or wrong answers.
4. Use an anonymous survey if the topic is sensitive for your participants.
5. Export the answers and compute the two means per respondent in a spreadsheet or statistics package, then report the means and standard deviations for each scale.