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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.09.26.678788

An Implementation Intention Combining Reappraisal and Anger Counteraction Reduces Fear Reinstatement

Wang, H.·Zeng, Y.·Zeng, S.
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Abstract

Fear extinction requires exposure to the conditioned stimulus (CS), yet patients with fear- and anxiety-related disorders often avoid the CS, thereby undermining extinction learning. Implementation intention (II) is a self-regulation strategy that automates goal-directed behavior through "if-then" planning. Building on the approach motivation elicited by anger and the principle of emotion-action incompatibility, we designed a novel II: "If I feel afraid when seeing fish/bird images (the CSs), then I will remind myself that it is foolish to fear a mere picture, and I will clench my fists and feel angry with myself." This strategy aims to transform fear-driven avoidance into self-directed anger, thereby promoting reappraisal and approach behavior. In a three-day differential fear conditioning paradigm, participants who practiced this II during extinction exhibited shorter avoidance distances to the CS+ than the standard-extinction control group. On Day 3, reinstatement testing revealed significantly lower subjective fear, anger, threat expectancy, and avoidance in the II group. These findings suggest that the combined reappraisal-plus-anger II requires practice during extinction to effectively reduce fear return without inducing overt aggression, offering a promising direction for optimizing exposure-based therapies.

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Wang, H., Zeng, Y., Zeng, S.. 2025-09-26. An Implementation Intention Combining Reappraisal and Anger Counteraction Reduces Fear Reinstatement. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.26.678788

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