Ability for Reappraisal: Creativity in an affective Context

Cognitive reappraisal is an emotion regulation strategy that is regarded particularly effective. However, increasing the frequency of its use can only be fruitful, if individuals are sufficiently capable to use reappraisal, that is, if they are sufficiently capable to come up with alternative interpretations of stressful situations or burdensome circumstances. A recently developed novel approach for the assessment of the ability for reappraisal is to assess an individual`s "reappraisal inventiveness", that is, his or her capability of spontaneously generating possible reappraisals of self-relevant emotionally laden situations. While there is first evidence indicating validity of this concept, it has not yet been neurologically substantiated. Some of the basic cognitive processes required for the generation of reappraisals of emotionally laden situations do also play a major role in creative ideation, which refers to generating novel ideas to given open problems. However, in cognitive reappraisal, these executive processes are operating in an affective context. In the present study, creative ideation tasks and reappraisal inventiveness tasks will be applied while recording the EEG (electroencephalogram), using a paradigm proven in creativity research. Brain processes in the immediate context of generating creative ideas and reappraisals of emotionally laden situations will be studied, that is, when an idea or alternative interpretation of a situation occurs to someone. Common and distinct processes of the two functions will be related to individual differences in the ability for reappraisal. Moreover, the concept of reappraisal inventiveness will be additionally integrated into the field of affective neuroscience by linking it to the concept of affective style and its neurophysiological underpinnings. The applicants are experienced researchers in EEG-based research on creative ideation, emotion regulation and related fields, and draw on reliable and proven methods. The research project is innovative in several aspects: The expansion of neuroscientific creativity research by setting it into an affective context The study of neuroscientific underpinnings of the ability for reappraisal The integration of EEG and ECG research for methodological advance In line with the mission of the University of Graz`s research core area "Brain and Behavior", the project combines advanced technologies of brain research with psychological expertise, in order to solve relevant research questions that may lead to improved diagnosis and therapeutics for psychopathological conditions and performance optimization.

Cognitive reappraisal is regarded a particularly effective strategy in coping with adverse events. Encouraging patients to use cognitive reappraisal constitutes the core of modern psychotherapeutic approaches. However, not everybody is able to use this coping strategy with the same success. In a way cognitive reappraisal requires to be creative in an affective context. However, findings of the project indicated that while cognitive reappraisal and creativity share many brain processes, cognitive reappraisal places additional demands on the brain compared to the conventional generation of creative ideas. The project's findings demonstrated that it depends on the individual's basic neural equipment, whether efforts to use cognitive reappraisal for coping with negative events are successful. More specifically, the capability to recruit appropriate brain circuits in anterior parts of the left side of the brain when attempting to find reappraisals of negative events is associated with the fundamental ability for cognitive reappraisal as well as with the experience of less stress and less feelings of depression in daily life. The relevant neural equipment also contributes to the functionality of important cognitive control functions that play a role in many other abilities. One can conclude that in patients in whom the basic equipment for the effective use of cognitive reappraisal is impaired on account of declines in relevant brain functions (e.g., older, depressed, or otherwise neurologically impaired people), training of other strategies such as distraction may be more effective. In addition, the functionality of contributing brain processes could also be used as an intervention target as such, thereby increasing the effectiveness of therapeutic approaches to enhance cognitive reappraisal. The Reappraisal Inventiveness Test is a valid tool to estimate an individual's fundamental capability for the effective use of cognitive reappraisal and may be used for monitoring the success in such endeavors.