Emotion regulation choice: the role of orienting attention and action readiness

Effortful Emotion Regulation as a Unique Form of Cybernetic Control

“…In emotion regulation, people select how intensely to employ regulatory behavior and which regulatory behavior (i.e., emotion-regulation strategy or tactic) to engage in. Which regulatory behavior people select is likely a function of multiple considerations (see Ghafur et al, 2018; Sheppes, 2020), including the expected benefits of each behavior and the effort required to implement it (Milyavsky et al, 2019). For instance, people may use cognitive reappraisal when emotion regulation requires less effort but switch to distraction when it requires more effort (Sheppes et al, 2012).…”

“…A different way to increase attainability in emotion regulation is to make emotion regulation less effortful. Emotion-regulatory behaviors that have been frequently and recently practiced should be easier to initiate (Ghafur et al, 2018). People can also decrease effort in emotion regulation by using extrinsic forms of emotion regulation—for instance by turning to close others for help (e.g., Cheung, Gardner, & Anderson, 2015; Coan, 2011; W.…”

“…It requires effort for initiation, demands monitoring during implementation, and is associated with some level of awareness (Gyurak, Gross, & Etkin, 2011). Although the effects of effortful emotion regulation on psychological functioning have been well documented, we do not yet understand what motivates people to initiate, invest effort in, and persist in emotion regulation (Ghafur, Suri, & Gross, 2018; McRae & Gross, 2020). In an attempt to address such motivational issues, this article offers an analysis of emotion regulation as a form of cybernetic control (Carver & Scheier, 1982, 1998).…”

“where Words Fail, Music Speaks”: Emotion Regulation Strategies Using Music When Experiencing Sadness

“…Another possibility may be that our beliefs about emotions, such as whether they are "good" or "bad" and controllable or uncontrollable, determine emotion regulation (Ford & Gross, 2018). Finally, it could be the orientating attention/action readiness framework (OAAR) that determines which emotion regulation strategy is implemented (Ghafur, Suri, & Gross, 2018). When an individual has a high level of oriented, or directed, attention, he or she can perform actions quicker.…”

“…When an individual has a high level of oriented, or directed, attention, he or she can perform actions quicker. Action readiness, on the other hand, refers to how easy it will be to perform an action, with higher levels making it easier to perform an action (Ghafur et al, 2018). Action readiness is higher for actions that are performed more frequently.…”