1. Sensory emotion regulation.
- Author
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Rodriguez, Micaela and Kross, Ethan
- Subjects
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EMOTION regulation , *EVIDENCE gaps , *SMELL , *LABORATORY animals , *INDIVIDUAL differences , *SENSES , *PERSONALITY studies - Abstract
Sensation and emotion are inextricably linked. Interdisciplinary evidence indicates that strategically activating each of the five major sensory modalities (i.e., sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch) can increase positive emotion and decrease negative emotion. Sensation offers a rapid and relatively effortless path to emotion regulation. More research is needed to elucidate how, for whom, and in what contexts sensation can maximally benefit emotional wellbeing. Decades of evidence reveal intimate links between sensation and emotion. Yet, discussion of sensory experiences as tools that promote emotion regulation is largely absent from current theorizing on this topic. Here, we address this gap by integrating evidence from social-personality, clinical, cognitive-neuroscience, and animal research to highlight the role of sensation as a tool that can be harnessed to up- or downregulate emotion. Further, we review evidence implicating sensation as a rapid and relatively effortless emotion regulation modality and highlight future research directions. Notably, we emphasize the need to examine the duration of sensory emotion regulation effects, the moderating role of individual and cultural differences, and how sensory strategies interact with other strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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