Emotion Recognition Ability as a Predictor of Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Published in: Social psychological & personality science 2021-09, Vol.12 (7), p.1380-1391
• Main Authors: Schlegel, Katja, Gugelberg, Helene M. von, Makowski, Lisa M., Gubler, Danièle A., Troche, Stefan J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acknowledgment; Consumption; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Emotion recognition; Emotional regulation; Negative emotions; Pandemics; Positive emotions; Public life; Witnesses
• ISSN: 1948-5506; 1948-5514
• DOI: 10.1177/1948550620982851

This study examined emotion recognition ability (ERA) as a predictor of positive and negative affect in two Australian and one German-speaking samples (total N = 469) during the first 2 weeks of major public life restrictions in the COVID-19 pandemic in March/April 2020. Individuals with higher ERA did not report more positive affect, but they felt less burdened and reported less negative affect. This association was fully mediated by lower COVID-19-related media consumption and less negative affect after reading an eyewitness report from an Italian city with a high COVID-19 death toll. However, higher ERA was also related to arguing more with close others. For low-to-medium ERA, an adaptive cognitive emotion regulation style predicted lower media consumption and for medium-to-high ERA, a maladaptive regulation style marginally increased the perceived likelihood of experiencing a similar situation as in Italy, suggesting that regulation style may moderate the ERA–affect relationship.