Emotion Regulation
“Anybody can become angry, that is easy;
but to be angry with the right person, and to
the right degree, and at the right time, and for
the right purpose, and in the right way, that is
not within everybody's power, that is not easy.”
- Aristotle
If you are pained by anything external, the pain is not due to
the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have
the power to revoke at any moment. – Marcus Aurelius
There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.
– Bill Shakespeare
Happiness does not depend on outward things, but on the
way we see them. – Leo Tolstoy
In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was
within me an invincible summer. – Albert Camus
If you are pained by anything external, the pain is not due to
the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have
the power to revoke at any moment
41,300,000 websites
255 books
There is nothing either good or bad but
thinking makes it so.
…”voodoo death” may be real, and it may be explained
as due to shocking emotional stress…
Overview
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Intro to Emotions in Brain
Definition of Emotion Regulation
Regulation processes
Suppression
Focusing on feelings
Relationship between Social Cognition and
Emotion
Emotions in Brain, Briefly
Frontal Lobes
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The story of Phineas Gage
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emotional, frequent outbursts of anger, rage,
couldn’t inhibit inappropriate behavior
Frontal Lobotomies
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1930s: Egaz Moniz begins frontal lobotomies
in humans (and eventually wins Nobel Prize)
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1950s: psychosurgery in vogue; 40,000 frontal
lobotomies in North America
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no outward signs of emotion
no facial expression
no feelings toward other people
felt empty, zombie-like
lose prosody = emotional component of speech
orbitofrontal cortex
Orbitofrontal patients show flat skin
conductance to disturbing stimuli
SCR:
skin conductance response; measures sweat gland activity;
indicator of arousal
Orbitofrontal cortex emotional decision making
Gambling Task
Pile A: gain more, lose more
Pile B: gain less, lose less
Speech Task
To induce a stress response, participants were asked to
prepare speeches on 2 random topics. Prior to entering
the scanner, they were given bios and background
information on the panelists, to convince them of the
seriousness of giving the speeches
Stern
fellows
Speech Task
Regions correlated with a measure
HR
SCR
Rating
= pos. corr.
= neg. corr.
Amygdala and Insula - Negative
Emotions
Insula
Disgust
Amygdala
Fear
Definition of Emotion Regulation
What is Emotion Regulation?
Definition
People regulate their emotions when they influence:
-Which emotions they have
-When they have emotions
-How they experience emotions
-How they express emotions
Regulation Processes
How do we regulate our emotions?
Emotion Regulation: 5 Ways
1. Selection of the situation
2. Modification of the situation
3. Deployment of attention
4. Change of cognitions
5. Modulation of responses
Situation Selection
Approaching or avoiding certain people,
places or objects; choose environments to
control range of contextual event
Examples
-Seeing a movie to
vent feelings
-Seeking out a friend
to have a good cry
-Treatment for drug
addiction
Contextual Event
EMOTION
Observable Response
Situation Modification
Modify or change a situation to alter its
emotional impact; change an aspect of the
contextual event
Examples
-Can’t make meeting;
reschedule phone
meeting
-Not succeeding in
grad program, then
switch to another
Contextual Event
EMOTION
Observable Response
Attention Deployment
Control focus of attention on the
contextual event to reduce or enhance
emotion
Examples
-Distraction: focus attention
on non-emotional aspects
of situation or from the
situation altogether
-Concentration: absorb
cognitive capacity or
focus on emotion cues
-Rumination: direct attention
to feelings and their
consequences
Contextual Event
EMOTION
Observable Response
Cognitive Change
Reappraisal of event, cognitively change
the emotional meaning of the event
Examples
-Reframe event
-Re-appraise meaning
-Turning tragedy into
triumph
Contextual Event
EMOTION
Observable Response
Role of Cognition in Emotion
If you are pained by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but
to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.
Stimulus/
Event
Appraise
Significance
Emotional
Response
Role of Cognition in Emotion
If you are pained by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but
to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.
Stimulus/
Event
Re-Appraise
Significance
Altered
Response
Think about image as you would
naturally, don’t try to alter your
experience…
Look Neg > Look Neu
“He’s in pain, suffering,
hospital, may die soon….”
Think about image in way that
makes you feel less negative….
Reappraise Neg > Look Neg
“Receiving treatment, is hearty,
will be right as rain….”
Typical Design for Studying
Re-appraisal
Strength of
Affect
REAPPRAISE
or
LOOK
weak
1
RELAX
strong
2
3
4
5
Instructional
cue
Stimulus
period
Affect
rating
Inter-trial
interval
2 secs
8 secs
2 secs
4-10 secs
Reappraisal significantly decreases
negative affect
Strong
7
Effects of
reappraisal
p < .001
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Weak
Look
Reapp
Negative Photo
Look
Neutral Photo
Reappraisal significantly decreases
amygdala response
.2
Look > Decrease
.15
.1
Look neg
.05
Reapp
0
-.05
-.1
-.15
-.2
Look neu
Lag
0-2
3-4
Cue
Photo
2sec
10 secs
5-6
7-8
9-10 11-12 13-14 15-16
Reappraising Aversive Images
Dorsal lateral PFC
(DLPFC)
Ventral lateral PFC
(VLPFC)
Medial PFC
Increase > Look
Reappraise > Look Neg
Preparing to Reappraise Aversive Images
Medial PFC
DLPFC
VLPFC
Reappraise > Look Neg
Increase > Look
Regions Supporting Reappraisal (Reappraise > Look)
lateral
Controls
lateral
Depressed
Dorsal PFC
p < .001
medial
Medial PFC
Dorsal ACC
Ventral PFC
Dorsal PFC
Ventral PFC
p < .001 medial
Medial PFC
Working Model of the Cognitive
Control of Emotion
Lateral PFC
Top-down
implementation
of cognitive
reappraisals
Lateral
Amygdala
Generate
initial
response
Anterior
Cingulate
Cortex
Monitor
reappraisal
success
Medial PFC
Self-awareness
of emotion
during
reappraisal
Medial
Response Modulation
Directly influencing physiological,
experiential, or expression
Examples
-Hide or present
facial expression
-Use exercise or
drugs to decrease
experience
Contextual Event
EMOTION
Observable Response
Suppression
Emotional Suppression
Inhibit emotion so that emotions are hidden
from others (response modulation)
Consequences
Lab Session (short-term)
Facial expression, somatic activity, heart rate
Blinking, GSR
Chronic Suppressors (long-term)
Positive expression and experience
Negative experience
Interpersonal functioning and well-being
Emotional Suppression
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Get into groups of 2 or 3
One person in group will look at the screen
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Try to suppress your facial expression
The other(s) will look at that person’s face
(and not the screen)
Try to find out when your partner sees
something disturbing.
Emotional Suppression
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Switch!
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2
3
4
5
What is the relationship between
Social Cognition and Emotion?
What is the relation btw. Soc-Cog
and Emotion?
Social
Cognition
What do you feel, think, want right now?
What are your traits/dispositions?
Did he intend to be mean?
Is he an aggressive guy?
What is the relation btw. Soc-Cog
and Emotion?
Social
Cognition
Emotion
What do you feel, think, want right now?
What are your traits/dispositions?
What are you expressing?
How am I feeling (expressing, physio responding)?
Does he look angry?
How upset am I?
(Is her heart racing, etc.)
Draw high-level inference about
social/emotional stimuli
Why is this man smiling?
Happy?
Draw high-level inference about
social/emotional stimuli
Why is this man smiling?
Happy?
Or manipulative?