The Neural Basis of Emotion Regulation: Making Emotion Work for You and Not Against You

Abstract

Too much emotion can get you into trouble. However, the maxim “Everything in moderation” applies to our emotional lives because a life without any emotion is not desirable either. We certainly need to experience some emotions in order to recognize when good and bad things happen. Luckily, the body's campaign for homeostasis extends to emotional processes; therefore we do have some mechanisms in place to regulate our emotions so that we can maximize their benefit and minimize their costs. What neural circuitry is involved in the control of emotion? Does it depend on the psychological manner in which we strive to regulate our emotions? Is it different from the neural basis of regulatory processes used to control nonemotional processes? This chapter addresses these questions by reviewing the human neuroscience research on three broad categories of emotional regulation: processes of distraction, reappraisal, and controlling emotional influences on decision making.