Existing tests to measure the ability to recognize other people's emotional expressions (emotion recognition ability [ERA]) mostly focus on a single modality (usually the face) and include only a small number of emotions, restricting their ecological validity. Further, their reliability is often unsatisfactory. The goal of the present study was to develop a new ERA test (Geneva Emotion Recognition Test [GERT]) that (a) features dynamic and multimodal actor portrayals (short videos with sound), (b) contains a large number of emotions, and (c) is based on modern psychometric principles (item response theory). We asked 295 participants to watch 108 actor portrayals and to choose, for each portrayal, which of 14 emotions had been expressed by the actor. We then applied the Rasch model independently to each of the 14 emotion portrayal subsets to select 83 final items for the GERT. Results showed that the model fits the emotion subtests and the overall GERT and that measurement precision is satisfactory. Consistent with previous findings, we found a decline in ERA with increasing age and an ERA advantage for women. To conclude, the GERT is a promising instrument to measure ERA in a more ecologically valid and comprehensive fashion than previous tests.

The present study examined how neuroticism, extraversion, and emotion regulation were related to loneliness and well-being during 6 weeks of major public life restrictions in the Covid-19 pandemic in Switzerland. Cross-sectional results from 466 participants showed that neuroticism and emotion regulation strategies were associated with higher loneliness and lower well-being. However, in contrast to prior research, associations of extraversion with loneliness and well-being were weak and were qualified by interactions with emotion regulation. For introverts, maladaptive cognitive strategies such as rumination or catastrophizing were related to higher levels of loneliness. For extraverts, emotion suppression was related to lower levels of affective well-being. Individuals with low maladaptive regulation reported higher well-being the longer the public life restrictions were in place at the time of study participation. These findings suggest that first, extraversion may lose some of its protective value for loneliness and well-being when opportunities to engage in social activities are limited; second, that loneliness and well-being do not decrease over 6 weeks of public life restrictions; and third, that future studies should further investigate the moderating role of emotion regulation on the link between personality, loneliness, and well-being.

The ability to accurately interpret others' emotional expressions in the face, voice, and body is a crucial component of successful social functioning and has been shown to predict better outcomes in private and professional life. To date, emotion recognition ability (ERA) has mostly been measured with tests that heavily rely on static pictures of the face and on few emotions, restricting their content validity. Recently, Schlegel, Grandjean, and Scherer (Psychological Assessment, 26, 666-672, 2014) published a new test that measures ERA in a more comprehensive fashion, by (1) including a wide range of 14 positive and negative emotions and (2) using video clips with sound that simultaneously present facial, vocal, and bodily emotional cues. This article introduces the short version of the Geneva Emotion Recognition Test (the GERT-S), and presents two studies (total N = 425) that examine the internal consistency, factor structure, and convergent and discriminant validity of the test. The results show that the GERT-S is a unidimensional test with good internal consistency. Furthermore, the GERT-S was substantially positively correlated with other ERA tests, with tests of emotional understanding and emotion management, and with cognitive ability. Taken together, the present studies demonstrate the usefulness of the GERT-S as an instrument for the brief and reliable assessment of ERA. It is available, free of charge and in seven different languages, for academic research use. Given the brief test-taking time (approx. 10 min) and its possible administration via different online platforms, the GERT-S can easily be integrated by researchers into their own studies.