The Science of Emotion Regulation
How an emotion becomes information you can use instead of a wave that knocks you over. The route runs from noticing and naming feelings to reappraising and accepting them.
10 steps · roughly 30 minutes to read · Reviewed by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA
Core Affect
Core affect is the ongoing pleasant-to-unpleasant, calm-to-activated feeling state that underlies every emotion.
Emotional Awareness
Awareness comes before regulation.
Emotional Granularity
Precision creates emotional clarity.
Affect Labeling
Naming emotions may change how they're experienced.
Appraisal Theory of Emotion
Appraisal theory says emotions arise from your interpretation of a situation.
Cognitive Reappraisal
Interpretation influences emotion.
Emotion Regulation
Manage emotions without denying them.
Expressive Suppression
Expressive suppression is hiding the outward signs of a feeling without changing the feeling itself.
Emotional Acceptance
Emotional acceptance is allowing a feeling to be present without struggling against it.
Savoring
Savoring is deliberately attending to pleasant experiences to extend their good feeling.