Associations Between Slow- and Fast-Timescale Indicators of Emotional Functioning

Abstract

“Core affect”—defined as momentary valence (pleasantness) and arousal (activation) levels—plays an important role in our emotional experiences. We examined the relationship between the “fast-timescale” (moment-to-moment) changes in core affect and “slow-timescale” (trait-level) indicators of emotional functioning. Results from an experience sampling study showed that daily valence and arousal baselines were positively related to emotional well-being. Furthermore, we found meaningful positive associations between fast-timescale core affect regulation and the habitual deployment of reappraisal as emotion regulation strategy.