Concepts
The irreducible epistemic atoms underlying the curriculum. 4,828 atoms across 8 types
The brain constructs emotions by predicting what bodily…
The brain constructs emotions by predicting what bodily sensations mean in the current context, based on prior experience and learned categories.
Emotional experience can be mapped onto two independent…
Emotional experience can be mapped onto two independent dimensions: valence and arousal.
Writing about emotional experiences for 15-20 minutes…
Writing about emotional experiences for 15-20 minutes produces measurable improvements in physical health, psychological well-being, and cognitive processing.
Incidental emotions influence decisions with the same power…
Incidental emotions influence decisions with the same power as integral emotions.
Situation selection (choosing which situations to enter)…
Situation selection (choosing which situations to enter) is more effective for emotion regulation than post-situation strategies.
Humans are evolutionarily predisposed to acquire fear…
Humans are evolutionarily predisposed to acquire fear responses to certain stimuli faster and more durably than others.
Humans systematically overestimate both the intensity…
Humans systematically overestimate both the intensity and duration of their emotional reactions to future events.
Behavior-focused negative self-evaluation is psychologically
Behavior-focused negative self-evaluation is psychologically distinct from identity-focused negative self-evaluation.
Guilt motivates approach behaviors while shame motivates…
Guilt motivates approach behaviors while shame motivates avoidance behaviors.
Relational quality is primarily determined by the ratio…
Relational quality is primarily determined by the ratio of turning-toward to turning-away responses to emotional bids, not by the severity or frequency of conflicts.
The autonomic nervous system operates through hierarchically
The autonomic nervous system operates through hierarchically organized circuits that mediate different arousal states.
Emotions prepare the body for specific physical actions…
Emotions prepare the body for specific physical actions through coordinated physiological changes including muscle tension, cardiovascular activation, and hormonal release.
Physical movement can complete physiological action…
Physical movement can complete physiological action sequences that emotions initiate but context prevents from executing.
Earlier interventions in the emotional process are generally
Earlier interventions in the emotional process are generally more effective and less costly than later interventions.
Using second or third-person self-talk creates psychological
Using second or third-person self-talk creates psychological distance from emotional experience and reduces emotional reactivity within one second.
Trauma recalibrates the nervous system's threat detection…
Trauma recalibrates the nervous system's threat detection to treat a wider range of stimuli as dangerous and weakens prefrontal-amygdala connectivity.
Extended exhalation activates the parasympathetic nervous…
Extended exhalation activates the parasympathetic nervous system while inhalation activates the sympathetic nervous system.
Regulatory flexibility—the ability to shift between
Regulatory flexibility -- the ability to shift between strategies based on context -- predicts better psychological outcomes than consistent use of any single strategy.
Emotional contagion is an automatic, pre-conscious…
Emotional contagion is an automatic, pre-conscious neurological process by which people mimic and absorb others' emotional states through facial expressions, vocalizations, postures, and movements.
Internal working models of self and others, constructed…
Internal working models of self and others, constructed in early caregiver relationships, persist as default templates for adult close relationships.
Compassion (warmth toward someone suffering) and empathic…
Compassion (warmth toward someone suffering) and empathic distress (experiencing their suffering) activate distinct neural networks and produce opposite effects on emotional wellbeing and prosocial motivation.
Differentiation of self exists on a spectrum from fused…
Differentiation of self exists on a spectrum from fused to differentiated emotional functioning.
One regulated nervous system can co-regulate another…
One regulated nervous system can co-regulate another dysregulated nervous system through social engagement cues.
People in different emotional states cannot accurately…
People in different emotional states cannot accurately simulate the preferences and perspectives of their selves in other emotional states.