The phobic applying for a job: Differential efficacy of reappraising or faking on subjective states, physiological reactions and performance

Background: It is known that social anxiety disorder (SAD) interferes in a great deal of life areas, ranging from social and private relationships to work related environments. We aimed to investigate the comparative efficacy of three emotion-regulation strategies in a job interview task for individuals with SAD. We considered both different categories of emotion-regulation strategies (reappraisal vs. suppression) but also different types of the same strategy (functional vs. positive reappraisal). Methods: 92 participants diagnosed with SAD were randomly assigned to one of the three experimental groups and a no strategy control group. Participants were required to present themselves in front of external observers who would rate their performance and decide if they are suited for the job. We measured subjective mood, rated performance, EEG asymmetries, and autonomic flexibility at three different phases: while anticipating the discourse, after the statement (when emotion regulation strategy was offered), and when recovering. Results: The functional reappraisal strategy was found to be superior to no strategy for anxiety, confidence, and coded performance. We found a higher level of left side PFC activity for the functional reappraisal group at the statement phase, with a moderation effect for PFC asymmetry of SAD severity.