The Orientation-Matching Hypothesis: An Emotion Specificity Approach to Affect Regulation

This article proposes that merely considering outcomes associated with a positive approach emotion (happiness) can regulate negative emotions evoking an approach orientation (e.g., sadness, anger). In contrast, outcomes associated with a positive avoidance emotion (calmness) best regulate negative emotions evoking avoidance orientation (e.g., anxiety, embarrassment). Although such orientation-matched (vs. mismatched) positive outcomes might not address the problem that caused the negative emotion, they signal a reduced need for affect regulation specific to the evoked orientation. Thus, orientation matching results in emotional benefit, an increased preference toward such outcomes, and frees resources for subsequent tasks. (94 words)