Emotion Regulation: Other People Matter | The 2022 Chris Peterson Memorial Lecture

Talk Summary: Although emotion regulation has often been conceptualized as an intrapersonal process, the last decade has seen emotion research begin to focus on the critical role that interpersonal processes play in the regulation of emotion. Relatedly, close relationships researchers have long recognized the role that interactions with other people play in the regulation of emotion, even if this work has not explicitly been called emotion regulation research or focused on the emotion regulation per se (e.g., social support) . In this talk I will present research from our lab that draws on both emotion theory and close relationship theory. In the first part of the talk I will review some of our recent work on how people turn to close others to help them regulate their own emotions. I will present data from several studies that show how relationship factors (e.g., intimacy) and skills of the regulator (e.g., accuracy in emotion perception) influence the effectiveness of emotion regulation. In the second part of the talk, I will present our newest work that investigates how people attempt to regulate their a partner’s emotions without that partner’s request, or many cases even knowledge of the regulation attempt. I will present findings from several studies examining the strategies relationship partners use that are aimed at making them feel more positively and more negatively, and the implications the use of these strategies have on the relationship and for the target of that regulation. Discussion will highlight the utility of that drawing on both close relationships research and emotion research has for advancing our our understanding of emotion regulation and interpersonal processes.

About the speaker: Shelly Gable received her Ph.D. in Social and Personality Psychology at the University of Rochester and began her career as an Assistant Professor at UCLA where she earned tenure and co-founded the Interdisciplinary Relationship Science Program before joining the faculty at University of California, Santa Barbara, where she is currently chair of the department. Dr. Gable’s research focuses on motivation, emotion regulation, close relationships and positive emotions. She is particularly interested in the social regulation of emotions, positive processes in close relationships, and resilience more broadly. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Templeton Foundation. She is a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, and the International Positive Psychology Association. Her awards include the Best Article Award from the International Association of Relationship Researchers (twice) , the Early Career Award from the Close Relationships Group of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from President George W. Bush, and the Career Trajectory Award from the International Association of Relationship Researchers. She lives a chaotic and joyful life in Santa Barbara with her husband, three children, and two large dogs of questionable lineage.

* Note: The 2022 Chris Peterson Memorial Lecture will be a hybrid talk held in 1324 East Hall (the McKeachie Auditorium) and via livestream. RSVPs are not required but are recommended. A livestream link will be sent to the Department of Psychology and all RSVPs in advance of the talk.