Explicit and implicit emotion regulation: a dual-process framework

Abstract

It is widely acknowledged that emotions can be regulated in an astonishing variety of ways. Most research to date has focused on explicit (effortful) forms of emotion regulation. However, there is growing research interest in implicit (automatic) forms of emotion regulation. To organise emerging findings, we present a dual-process framework that integrates explicit and implicit forms of emotion regulation, and argue that both forms of regulation are necessary for well-being. In the first section of this review, we provide a broad overview of the construct of emotion regulation, with an emphasis on explicit and implicit processes. In the second section, we focus on explicit emotion regulation, considering both neural mechanisms that are associated with these processes and their experiential and physiological consequences. In the third section, we turn to several forms of implicit emotion regulation, and integrate the burgeoning literature in this area. We conclude by outlining open questions and areas for future research.

Figure 1

A dual-process model of emotion regulation. Explicit emotion regulation processes are depicted in the center. Everything outside this circle represents processes that are related to implicit emotion regulation.

Figure 2

Schematic depiction of an explicit emotion regulation task modeled after McRae et al. (2010). Explicit emotion regulation performance is indexed by contrasting emotional responding in the reactivity and regulation trials.

Figure 3

Schematic depiction of the implicit emotion regulation task modeled after Etkin et al., (2006). ITI = Inter Trial Interval. RT = response time.