Brain Function and Real-World Choice and Effectiveness of Intrapersonal and Social Forms of Emotion Regulation

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In our daily lives, we regulate emotions on our own (i.e., intrapersonally), with the help of other people (i.e., social regulation of emotion), and through a combination of the two. However, research disproportionally focuses on intrapersonal strategies. Recently, interest in the social regulation of emotion has been emerging. Even though both forms of emotion regulation may successfully decrease negative emotion, they may do so in meaningfully different ways. The long-term goal of the proposed research program is to better understand how social forms of emotion regulation fit into traditional frameworks of emotion regulation. A social regulation of emotion theory states that when dealing with stressors, people expend less energy (e.g., less neural activation) when in the company of other people. Intrapersonal forms of emotion regulation tend to activate neural areas related to inhibiting emotional impulses (i.e., the cognitive control network). In contrast, social forms of emotion regulation (e.g., physical touch) deactivate these neural areas. Studies though have yet to directly compare intrapersonal and social forms of emotion regulation, which is needed to verify and fully characterize their shared and distinct neural mechanisms. My trainees and I intend to clarify which neural network(s) is key to understanding how social and intrapersonal (e.g., cognitive reappraisal, acceptance) forms of emotion regulation differ. Cognitive reappraisal is changing how one thinks about a situation, and acceptance is "decentering" from one's emotions and thoughts by nonevaluatively observing them as they rise and pass. In Study 1, we will test a modified social regulation of emotion handholding task that enhances ecological validity. Handholding tasks have previously used standardized stimuli. In this modified task, participants will create personalized stimuli of negative beliefs about themselves. In Study 2.1, we will use this task to compare brain function during intrapersonal versus social regulation of emotion. In Study 2.2, we will examine how doing both types of emotion regulation simultaneously changes neural activation patterns. We will compare brain function when typically intrapersonal strategies are conducted on their own versus when they are conducted concurrently with handholding. In Study 3, we will examine whether neural network(s) identified in Studies 2.1 and 2.2 play a role in how people regulate their emotions in daily life. We will test whether individual differences in these neural networks are related to: (1) using social versus intrapersonal strategies more often; and (2) benefiting more from social versus intrapersonal strategies. Findings will make advancements in the field of emotion regulation and have implications for how close relationships improve well-being. HQP will be trained in neuroscience conceptual, methodological, and analytical skills. These outcomes will support Canada's reputation as a leader in neuroscience.