Abstract
Previous research has predominantly focused on the impact of emotions on trust repair, yet has largely neglected how the manner of emotional communication influences this process. Centering on guilt-the emotion most commonly experienced by transgressors following a trust breach-this study examines whether spontaneous versus strategic guilt communication exerts differential effects on trust repair, and explores how the severity of the trust violation moderates this relationship. Study 1 compared the trust repair efficacy of spontaneous and strategic guilt communication. Study 2 tested the moderating role of violation severity. Results from Study 1 indicated that spontaneous guilt communication facilitated significantly greater trust repair than strategic communication. Study 2 further revealed that this advantage emerged only when the trust violation was severe. These findings advance theoretical understanding of guilt as a trust repair strategy and offer practical guidance for nurturing and restoring trust in interpersonal contexts, thereby promoting relational harmony.