The Role of Perceived Rejection and Cognitive Reappraisal in the Experience of Anger in Individuals High in Social Anxiety

Two studies examined anger in social anxiety. Data collection began with laboratory visits, and ended with teleconference sessions due to a “lockdown” period during the COVID-19 outbreak. Study 1 examined anger reactivity and effectiveness of cognitive reappraisal to regulate anger among individuals with high social anxiety (HSA; n=37) and low social anxiety (LSA; n=29) using rejection-salient films. Those in the HSA group displayed greater anger reactivity than those in the LSA group, but displayed similar benefits from instructed cognitive reappraisal. Study 2 examined the role of perceived rejection in the experience of anger in individuals with HSA (n=28) and LSA (n=25) using daily diaries over 14 days. Participants with HSA reported greater anger intensity than those with LSA in situations involving rejection, and those not involving rejection. Participants with HSA reported more frequent anger episodes involving rejection of others compared to participants with LSA. Implications of these findings are discussed.