Emotion & Emotional Regulation

Watch

• How to manage your emotions ↗TED-Ed
• How mindfulness changes the emotional life of our brains | Richard J. Davidson | TEDxSanFrancisco ↗TEDx Talks
• You aren't at the mercy of your emotions -- your brain creates them | Lisa Feldman Barrett ↗TED
• How sleep affects your emotions | Sleeping with Science, a TED series ↗TED
• The Neuroscience of ADHD and Emotional Dysregulation ↗Therapy in a Nutshell
• The Science of Emotions with Tony Hale | National Geographic | Inside Out 2 ↗National Geographic

Read

• Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain ↗A seminal work demonstrating how emotions, far from being impediments, are indispensable for rational decision-making, rooted in the brain's intricate architecture.Antonio Damasio
• The Emotional Brain: The Mysterious Underpinnings of Emotional Life ↗An authoritative exploration of the neural circuitry of fear and other emotions, dissecting the brain's ancient mechanisms that underpin our most primal feelings.Joseph LeDoux
• How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain ↗A provocative challenge to conventional wisdom, arguing that emotions are not universal reactions but rather constructed by the brain's predictive models, with profound implications for neuroscience.Lisa Feldman Barrett
• Cognitive, Social, and Physiological Determinants of Emotional StateA landmark study proposing that emotional experience arises from a combination of physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation, fundamentally shaping subsequent theories.Stanley Schachter and Jerome Singer
• The Emerging Field of Emotion Regulation: An Integrative ReviewAn essential review that systematically defines and structures the burgeoning field of emotion regulation, outlining its key processes and theoretical underpinnings.James J. Gross
• The polyvagal perspectiveA profound theoretical framework detailing the vagus nerve's role in regulating physiological states, social engagement, and emotional responses, offering new insights into stress and trauma.Stephen W. Porges

Voices to follow

• Lisa Feldman Barrett ↗Her groundbreaking research challenges conventional views of emotion, positing that feelings are not universal reactions but rather 'constructed' by the brain from basic physiological sensations and context.University Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Northeastern University
• Antonio Damasio ↗A pioneer in linking emotion, reason, and the body, his work illuminates how feelings are integral to decision-making and the very fabric of consciousness.David Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience, Psychology and Philosophy, University of Southern California
• Joseph LeDoux ↗His extensive research on the neural circuits of fear and anxiety has profoundly shaped our understanding of how the brain processes and stores emotional memories.Henry and Lucy Moses Professor of Science, New York University; Director, Emotional Brain Institute
• Richard J. Davidson ↗A trailblazer in affective neuroscience, he meticulously maps the brain circuits underlying emotion and investigates how practices like mindfulness can cultivate emotional well-being.William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin–Madison; Founder and Director, Center for Healthy Minds

Glossary

• Coping MechanismsCoping mechanisms are the strategies or actions you use to deal with difficult emotions, stress, or problems. They can be healthy ways to manage feelings or unhealthy ones that avoid the issue. For example, talking to a friend about a problem is a healthy coping mechanism, while yelling at someone might be an unhealthy one.
• EmotionAn emotion is a strong feeling like joy, sadness, anger, or fear that happens quickly and is usually a reaction to something specific. It involves changes in your body, like your heart beating faster. For example, feeling a sudden burst of happiness when your favorite song comes on is an emotion.
• Emotional RegulationEmotional regulation is your ability to understand and manage your emotions in a healthy way. It means choosing how you respond to your feelings instead of letting them control you. For example, if you're really frustrated with a homework problem, taking a deep breath and trying a different approach instead of throwing your book is emotional regulation.
• EmpathyEmpathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person, almost like putting yourself in their shoes. It means you can sense what someone else is experiencing emotionally. For example, if your friend is sad because their pet is sick, feeling sad alongside them and understanding their pain is empathy.
• FeelingA feeling is the personal experience of an emotion inside your mind and body. It's how you sense and interpret what's happening emotionally. For example, when you feel angry, you might describe it as a hot, tight sensation in your chest.
• MoodA mood is a general emotional state that lasts longer than an emotion, like hours or even days, and isn't always tied to one specific event. It's like the background music to your day. For example, waking up feeling generally grumpy for no clear reason, even if nothing bad has happened yet, means you're in a bad mood.
• ResilienceResilience is your ability to bounce back and recover quickly from difficulties, setbacks, or tough emotional experiences. It's like being able to get back up after falling down. For example, if you don't get into your dream college but then work hard and find success in another path, that shows resilience.
• Self-awarenessSelf-awareness is knowing and understanding your own feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. It's like having a clear picture of what's going on inside you. For example, realizing that you tend to get quiet when you're stressed is a sign of self-awareness.
• StressStress is your body's natural reaction to challenges or demands, making you feel tense, worried, or overwhelmed. It's a "fight or flight" response that prepares you for action. For example, feeling your heart race and your palms sweat before a big exam is a common stress reaction.
• TriggersTriggers are specific things, like certain words, situations, or memories, that cause a strong emotional reaction in you. They can set off an emotion, good or bad. For example, hearing a particular song might be a trigger for happy memories of a past vacation.

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Where this connects to other fields, and why it's worth knowing.

• Calculus & Rates of Change Mathematics

  You don't feel how good your life is; you feel whether it's getting better or worse right now. That's why winning the lottery stops feeling amazing after a few months, and why even bad news fades. Your emotions track the change, not the level, so no feeling, good or bad, stays loud for long.

• Religion & the Sacred Religion

  The 'ew' you feel at rotten meat and the 'ew' you feel at something morally vile use the same brain circuitry. Your gut borrowed its food-poison alarm to guard sacred rules too. That's why breaking a taboo can make people physically nauseous, as if disgust itself were policing what's holy.

• Music & Sound Arts & Design

  When a song plays a tense, unfinished-sounding chord, your brain is quietly betting on which note comes next. The rush you feel when it finally lands on the right one is your reward system celebrating a correct guess. That is the same brain machinery behind craving, which is why music can grab your feelings just by making you wait.

• Culture & Identity Sociology

  A handful of facial expressions, like fear or disgust, seem to mean the same thing to humans everywhere. But the 'display rules' for when you're allowed to show them are wildly cultural: one society expects loud wailing at a funeral, another demands a stone face. The feeling may be universal; the permission to show it is taught by your culture.

• The Microbiome Health

  The bacteria living in your gut make a lot of your serotonin and GABA, the same chemicals that steady your mood, and they message your brain through a nerve highway called the vagus nerve. Raise mice with no gut bacteria and they act visibly anxious. So your mood isn't just yours; your microbes get a vote.

• The Meaning of Life Philosophy

  Chasing happiness can actually make you less happy, while a meaningful life often comes packaged with stress, effort, and sacrifice. Studies show the two goals pull in different directions. So the fun life and the meaningful life aren't the same thing, and sometimes you have to pick which one you're really after.