Psychologists have found a two-step method for managing emotions

Emotional reactions are directly related to how a person interprets events. In psychology, the process of changing this interpretation is known as reevaluation. For example, if an employee perceives criticism from their superiors as a threat to their career, they may experience anxiety. However, if they view the situation as a professional challenge, the intensity of negative emotions may decrease.

Researcher Christian Vo and his colleague Katerina Macray have proposed that reevaluation should be viewed not as an instantaneous action, but as a complex process that requires effort. In the first stage, known as generation, individuals create an alternative perspective on the event. This requires flexibility of thought and the ability to find the “bright side” in a negative context. However, the resulting alternative is initially fragile and must compete with the initial, automatic negative response.

The second stage, implementation, involves the detailed development and reinforcement of the new perspective. Without this stage, the new thought will not be able to replace the old one, and the emotional relief will be short-lived. The individual must focus on the details of the new interpretation, making it dominant in their mind.

To test the hypothesis of a two-stage process, a study was conducted with the participation of 89 volunteers. They were shown images with negative content and asked to use the reevaluation technique. In the first stage, the participants simply created a positive interpretation of the image. In the second stage, they returned to the image and worked on it in detail. The results showed that the participants’ condition improved slightly after the first stage, but significantly decreased after the implementation stage and remained low during subsequent tests.

In a subsequent study involving 52 participants, the question of whether people would voluntarily complete the revaluation process was examined. It was found that only half of the participants chose to complete the reinforcement stage. The main reason for not completing the full revaluation was the high level of psychological stress. People tend to give up if they do not see immediate results, or they may switch to simple distraction, which requires fewer resources but has a less lasting effect.

The scientific evidence points to two important aspects of emotional management in real life. First, changing one’s mindset requires a conscious intention to continue working even when it seems difficult. Knowing that relief only comes in the second stage can help individuals avoid giving up prematurely.

Second, external support (advice or different perspectives from others) has limited effectiveness. While a new perspective offered by another person may provide temporary improvement, it does not replace the individual’s internal work. To achieve a lasting result, individuals must integrate and reinforce this new information within their own belief system. Thus, effective emotion regulation is not just about finding a good idea, but a systematic process of reinforcing a new perspective until it becomes the only one.