The DOI matches its Crossref record; 22 of the 22 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Turning the knots in your stomach into bows: Reappraising arousal improves performance on the GRE
Open accessAbstract
This research examined the benefits of interpreting physiological arousal as a challenge response on practice and actual Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. Participants who were preparing to take the GRE reported to the laboratory for a practice GRE study. Participants assigned to a reappraisal condition were told arousal improves performance, whereas control participants were not given this information. We collected saliva samples at baseline and after the appraisal manipulation, which were then assayed for salivary alpha amylase (sAA), a measure of sympathetic nervous system activation. Reappraisal participants exhibited a significant increase in sAA and outperformed controls on the GRE-math section. One to three months later, participants returned to the lab and provided their score reports from their actual GRE. Again, reappraisal participants scored higher than controls on the GRE-math section. These findings illuminate the powerful influence appraisal has on physiology and performance both in and out of the laboratory.
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“Furthermore, the reappraisal participants, compared to control, earned higher GRE exam scores when they took the actual test in the following months (Jamieson et al., 2010).”
From More than a feeling: A unified view of stress measurement for population science (2018) · cites this paper as Jamieson et al., 2010
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“Indeed, consistent with the challenge and threat framework, the greater the SNS increase the better the math performance (see also Dienstbier, 1989, for additional examples).”
From More than a feeling: A unified view of stress measurement for population science (2018) · cites this paper as Jamieson et al., 2010
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“Furthermore, in some contexts, SNS activation is greater in challenge than threat states, consistent with Dienstbier’s idea of physiological toughness, which suggests that larger increases in SNS activation to novel situations is related to effective coping and better performance (see also Jamieson et al., 2010).”
From More than a feeling: A unified view of stress measurement for population science (2018) · cites this paper as Jamieson et al., 2010
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Citations
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Items 301–376 of 376
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“…area of research that bridged stress research with emotion regulation models (Gross, 2015) developed tools to help people interpret bodily stress responses (e.g., sweaty palms or a racing heart) as functional coping resources rather than signs of anxiety and failure (Jamieson et al., 2010, 2012).”
Self-citationThormodsæter, R. S., Ballen, C. J., Fagbodun, S., Foster‐Hartnett, D., García‐Ojeda, M. E., Gonsar, N., Henning, J. A., Robnett, R. D., Sanders, T., Wainman, J. W., et al. (2026) · CBE—Life Sciences Education · doi:10.1187/cbe.25-04-0055 · Cited by 1
“Given that others (Jamieson et al. , 2010; Harris et al. , 2019; Hecht et al. , 2023; Table 1) have documented positive impacts of this or similar interventions, we must consider why our efforts at replication were ineffective.”
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Lyashevsky, I. (2018) · Columbia Academic Commons (Columbia University) · doi:10.7916/d8mp6kd6 · Cited by 1
“As demonstrated by the interventions carried out by Yeager et al. (2013) and Jamieson et al. (2010), teaching a single key principle of the emotion system can have meaningful effects on learners’ social emotional functioning.”
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“総合考察 本研究では、ストレス状況下の選択的注意機能および、 ストレスの再評価がストレス状況下の選択的注意に及ぼ す影響を検討した。その結果、①ストレスが負荷されな い事態に比べ、ストレス状況下では、選択的注意機能が 低下すること、しかし、②ストレス状況下であっても、 そのストレスを肯定的に再評価することで、選択的注意 機能を維持することができることが明らかとなった。 ただし、ストレスの再評価が選択的注意機能を反映す る反応時間および誤答率のどちらの成績の維持にも効果 があるという結論は早計であると考える。なぜならば、 本研究の実験 2 において、再評価群と無視群の適合性効…”
Social-Psychological Insights on Improving Blind People’s Employment Outcomes
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“For example, studies conducted by Jamieson et al. (2010) and Brady et al. (2018) conclude that reappraisal-type emotion regulation strategies improve test performance by reducing test anxiety.”
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“Unsurprisingly, negative performance expectations shift the balance of appraisals towards threat, leading to worse performance outcomes, whereas methods developed to increase resource appraisals facilitate performance (e.g., Jamieson et al. 2010, 2012; Yeager et al. 2022).”
Self-citationSun, Y.-J., Li, S.-Y., Segal, A., Haginoya, S., & Santtila, P. (2026) · Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology · doi:10.1007/s11896-026-09804-7
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“From an emotion-regulation perspective, this pattern is consistent with reappraisal mechanisms that shift how a stressor is construed and experienced [5, 10, 13].”
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The Experience of an Objective Versus Perceived Reality
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Pan, J., Fang, S., Quan, Z., Huang, X., & Zheng, L. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1794393
“With appropriate regulation and cognitive reframing, stress can become not an obstacle but an important driving force that motivates individuals, enhances adaptability, and promotes professional development (Jamieson et al., 2010; Dienstbier, 1989).”
Cook, T. E., Williams, S. E., Fergus, T. A., & Ginty, A. T. (2026) · Psychophysiology · doi:10.1111/psyp.70353
“These instructions were adapted from previous reap-praisal studies and tested in a pilot study to ensure efficacy (Beltzer et al. 2014; Jamieson et al. 2010, 2016).”
Stress Mindsets Forecasting Students' Mental Health Trajectories: Evidence From an EMA Study
Journault, A., Singh, K., Maddala, T., Calrson, J., Behera, S., & Jamieson, J. P. (2026) · Stress and Health · doi:10.1002/smi.70201
“Most experimental studies have focused on short‐term effects within laboratory settings (e.g., Jamieson et al. 2010; Jamieson et al. 2013; Kam et al. 2024; J. J. W. Liu et al. 2019; Qiong et al. 2023; Sammy et al. 2017; Akinola et al. 2016; Crum et al. 2023; Griffin and Howard 2021; Jour-nault et…”
Self-citationAnxiety as signal: a practitioner framework for reframing music performance anxiety
Goodman, D. M. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1884849
“This prediction has received broader empirical support: Jamieson et al. (2010) demonstrated that reappraising physiological arousal as “excitement” rather than “anxiety” improved performance on cognitive tasks under stress, accompanied by corresponding changes in cardiovascular profiles.”
Fan, W., Sun, Q., Gao, Q., Wu, L., & Liu, L. (2026) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs16081297
“…specifies the direction of interpretation by encouraging individuals to interpret stress responses as coping resources (Hagger et al., 2020; Jamieson et al., 2010), our theoretical account proposes that the interpretation of stress is shaped by the social beliefs individuals apply to its…”
Nguyen, H. B., Pham, N. T., Nguyen, L. K. T., & Nguyên, T. L. (2026) · Springer proceedings in business and economics · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-24745-2_14
Lee, C. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1851626
“Arousal reappraisal research suggests that viewing activation as supportive of performance can enhance attentional engagement and readiness for action (Jamieson et al., 2010, 2013).”
InfluentialMesghina, A., & Richland, L. E. (2026) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-026-02995-4
A Review of Foreign Language Learning Emotions from the Perspective of Control-Value Theory
黄, 紫. (2026) · Modern Linguistics · doi:10.12677/ml.2026.1410998
Challenge and Threat States in Motivated Performance Situations
Moore, L. J. (2014) · Open Research Exeter (University of Exeter) · doi:10.1111/j.1469-8986.2012.01449.x
Metadata
- Authors
- Jamieson, J. P., Mendes, W. B., Blackstock, E., & Schmader, T.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Mendes, Wendy Berry
- Venue
- Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2010-01
- Volume
- 46
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 208-212
- ISSN
- 0022-1031 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2790291
- OpenAlex
- W2120001707
- Cited by
- 376
- References
- 22
- Citations by year
- 2026: 21 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 33 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 36 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 18 · 2014: 25 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 2.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01HL079383)
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH071749)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Education, Achievement, and Giftedness
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Sport Psychology and Performance
- Keywords
- cognitive reappraisal, physiological arousal, challenge-response, gradient echo, test performance, salivary amylase, sympathetic activation, test anxiety, mathematics scores
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