Linguistic Shifts: A Relatively Effortless Route to Emotion Regulation?

Abstract

Prior research indicates that psychological distance facilitates emotion regulation. Here, we propose that the ability to transcend one’s immersed perspective may be hidden in plain sight, within the very structure of language. We review evidence regarding two linguistic mechanisms, distanced self-talk and generic “you,” that promote emotion regulation by allowing speakers to shift from an immersed to a more distanced perspective through the words they use to reflect on the self (e.g., shifting from “I” to their own name or other non-first-person-singular pronouns). We conclude by suggesting that these linguistic shifts occur relatively seamlessly and thus may provide a less effortful route to emotion regulation.

Stronger resting-state neural oscillations associated with wiser advising from the 2nd- but not the 3rd-person perspective

“…Previous studies on "self-talk" (wherein people typically refer to themselves as "You") suggest that "YOU" is expected to arise in contexts requiring explicit self-control or conscious self-guidance 22 , and plays a crucial role in introspection 23 . Moreover, generic-you, another kind of the 2nd-person perspective, is used to express more general generalizations that are deeply self-relevant and allows individuals to derive broader meanings from negative experience 24 , 25 . This process of meaning construction conforms to advising as expressing wisdom—through meanings derived from life narratives 26 .…”

Training for Wisdom: The Distanced-Self-Reflection Diary Method

“…Also known as illeism , this ancient form of writing and speaking dates as far back as 58 BC in writings by Julius Caesar (Raaflaub & Strassler, 2017). Though the intention behind referring to oneself in the third person may vary, when applied to self-reflections it promotes psychological self-distancing (Kross et al, 2014; Trope & Liberman, 2010)—a process in which a narrow egocentric focus on the experience in the here and now is diminished and, instead, a focus on the bigger picture is promoted (Kross & Ayduk, 2017; Orvell, Ayduk, Moser, Gelman, & Kross, 2019). In turn, this bigger-picture representation of the situation can bolster wise reasoning (Grossmann, Oakes, & Santos, 2019; Kross & Grossmann, 2012).…”

Types of Inner Dialogues and Functions of Self-Talk: Comparisons and Implications

“…Evidence suggests that self-talk also plays a role in facilitating a variety of cognitive processes (Langland-Hassan and Vicente, 2018) including emotion regulation (Orvell et al, 2019), coping with painful experiences (Kross et al, 2014, monitoring of language development and speech production (e.g., Pickering and Garrod, 2013), and perspective taking (e.g., Fernyhough, 2009). Recent studies show that non-first-person self-talk can promote self-distancing and adaptive self-reflection (e.g., Kross et al, 2014;White et al, 2015).…”

“…Referring to oneself in the third person (he/she/they) or by one's name appears to promote coping with stressful experiences and is associated with appraising future stressors as challenges rather than threats (Kross et al, 2014. This kind of self-talk is also connected to specific forms of brain activity that constitute effortless self-control (Moser et al, 2017) and emotion regulation (Orvell et al, 2019).…”