Emotion Dynamics Lab at UBCO

Emotion regulation is important for understanding how people interpret and respond to criticism in romantic relationships. Since criticism is a common part of communication, how it is experienced can influence both relationship satisfaction and individual well-being. However, not all criticism is perceived in the same way. While some forms are seen as hostile, others are viewed as constructive and helpful. These differences in perception can shape how criticism affects relationships.

One factor that influences whether criticism is viewed as hostile or helpful is how people regulate their emotions. For instance, people who have more difficulty regulating their emotions are more likely to interpret criticism as hostile. Similarly, people who rely more on suppression, which means to hold back emotional expression, also tend to perceive criticism as hostile.

Additionally, emotion regulation can influence both the individual and their partner. For example, when someone relies on suppression or has difficulty regulating their emotions, interactions are more likely to be experienced as negative by both people. This is because dysregulated emotions can shape how people express themselves and respond to each other. In contrast, cognitive reappraisal, or the ability to reframe situations, can support more positive interpretations. In particular, people who use reappraisal are more likely to view criticism as constructive, especially during conversations where the intent of the message is less clear. Therefore, emotion regulation can influence how interactions are perceived and how they unfold between partners.

Overall, emotion regulation is important in shaping how criticism is understood in relationships. Instead of criticism being inherently negative or positive, how it is perceived depends partly on how people manage their emotions, which can influence relationship quality and communication over time.

Klein, S. R., Renshaw, K. D., Curby, T. W., & George Mason University. (2016). Emotion regulation and perceptions of hostile and constructive criticism in romantic relationships. In *Behavior Therapy* (Vol. 47, pp. 143–154). https://www.elsevier.com/locate/bt

Emotion regulation refers to the process of modifying or adjusting emotional responses to support goals or overall well-being. In particular, emotion regulation can influence how strongly emotions are felt, how long they are experienced, and how they are expressed. In academic settings, emotion regulation is especially important because students experience many stressful situations such as exams. To manage stress, students use both internal and external emotion regulation strategies. Internal strategies include self-talk and reinterpreting situations, whereas external strategies refer to changing one’s environment or seeking support.

Emotion regulation is also an important part of handling academic stress as it influences how students respond to feedback. For instance, when students are able to regulate their emotions, they are more likely to use feedback for improvement. In contrast, experiencing strong emotions such as anxiety or frustration can interfere with learning, making it harder to benefit from feedback.

However, reflection, or taking time to think about one’s emotions, can allow students to better understand their emotions and adjust their behaviour. Therefore, activities like reflective journaling help students understand the relationship between their emotions and experiences with feedback, which may help them respond more effectively. Specifically, reflective journaling can improve self-awareness, support emotional stability, and improve well-being.

Overall, emotion regulation is an important part of how students handle academic stress. In particular, the ability to regulate emotions, both internally and externally, allows feedback to be used for improvement rather than discouragement. Additionally, reflection supports this process by helping students understand their emotions and behaviours. Together, these skills support academic success and well-being.

Simion, A., & Stan, C. (2025). Exploring emotional regulation and metaevaluation through

student reflections on feedback in higher education. *Educatia 21*, *31*, 422–430.

https://doi.org/10.24193/ed21.2025.31.45

Are you hoping to join an interdisciplinary classroom where you can explore topics beyond what’s offered at UBCO while completing upper-level course requirements? 🧠

The FASS is offering two three-credit, fourth-year psychology student directed seminars, led by student facilitators Nataly and Essence Mayo (member of the Emotion Dynamics Lab! 😊)

To register, email [email protected]

Emotions are often thought to be separate from perception, but emotions may influence how we see the world. For instance, emotional states influence what people notice, how they interpret it, and even how the physical environment appears. Therefore, perception is not fully objective but is influenced by our emotions.

One way this happens is through attention. Specifically, emotional experiences impact what people focus on, making certain information stand out more. For example, fear can make potential threats easier to detect, while positive emotions can draw attention toward rewarding or pleasant information. Therefore, emotions do not just change how people feel, but also what they are more likely to see in their surroundings.

Emotions also influence how people process information. Positive emotions (e.g., happiness) are often linked to a broader way of seeing things, allowing people to focus on the overall picture. In contrast, negative emotions (e.g., sadness) tend to narrow focus, leading people to pay closer attention to details and ignore broader information. This can influence how people respond to what is around them, shaping what they notice and how they make sense of it.

Additionally, emotions can change how the physical environment is perceived. For example, hills appear steeper and distances can seem farther depending on how someone feels. Specifically, sadness and fatigue can make physical tasks (e.g., walking up a hill) seem more difficult, and fear can make heights or slopes seem more extreme. One explanation for this is that emotions provide information about the potential effort or cost of an action, which can influence how the environment is perceived.

Overall, emotions influence attention, interpretation, and how the environment appears. Therefore, emotions help people respond more effectively to what is around them, rather than only seeing the world as it objectively is.

Zadra, J. R., & Clore, G. L. (2011). Emotion and perception: The role of affective information. In Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science (Vols. 2–6, pp. 676–685). https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.147

Emotion suppression refers to intentionally holding back emotional expressions, even when emotions are intense. Since emotions play an important role in social interactions, changing how emotions are expressed can impact people’s relationships. For instance, when emotions are openly shared, people can build connection and understanding, but suppressing emotions can sometimes interfere with communication and social bonding.

However, the choice to use suppression and the impact it has are not the same for everyone. For example, cultural values can impact how people understand and express emotions. In contexts that emphasize independence and self-expression, people are generally encouraged to show their emotions openly. In these situations, suppression tends to be used to protect oneself, such as avoiding conflict or hiding vulnerability. Because of this, suppressing emotions is often linked to negative experiences such as, feeling worse emotionally and being less open or responsive in social situations.

In contrast, in contexts that emphasize interdependence and social harmony, suppressing emotions can serve a different purpose. For instance, people who value interdependence may use suppression more regularly and in more situations, such as to protect others’ feelings or maintain group harmony. Additionally, since suppression use may be more common and socially supported for people who value interdependence, it is not associated with the same negative outcomes.

In particular, these contextual differences can influence how suppression use impacts social bonding. For example, when suppression is used in interdependent contexts, people are better able to stay engaged and responsive, even while holding back their emotions.

Overall, the negative outcomes often associated with suppression are not universal but depend on the cultural context in which it is used as well as the reason for using it.

Butler, E. A., Lee, T. L., & Gross, J. J. (2007). Emotion regulation and culture: Are the social consequences of emotion suppression culture-specific? Emotion, 7(1), 30–48. https://doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.7.1.30

Community-based sports and recreation programs can support youth in learning many physical, emotional, and interpersonal skills. Specifically, these kinds of programs can help foster many social-emotional skills including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and decision-making skills.

Research suggests that recreation programs can act as a safe environment for youth to gain key developmental skills which may act as protective factors against mental health challenges. These environments are particularly important for youth who experience marginalization (i.e. racialized youth, youth who experience family instability, youth living in poverty, etc.).

Researchers asked youth about their experiences in after-school recreation and sports programs. The youth expressed that these programs allowed them to acknowledge their feelings and regulate their emotions, recognize their own strengths and limitations, and built confidence in themselves. After-school programs can also expose youth to a diverse range of people encouraging youth to have empathy and consideration of their peers.

Overall, community-based sports and recreation programs can provide youth with a safe environment to develop social-emotional skills and build community

Son, H., & Berdychevsky, L. (2026). Recreation and sport programs for social-emotional development among socially vulnerable youth. *Journal of Leisure Research*, *57*(1), 62–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.2024.2429540

Emotion regulation refers to how people manage their emotions, and one way this may occur is through exposure to nature. Specifically, research suggests that natural environments increase positive mood (e.g., awe, joy, happiness) and shape how people experience their surrounding environments.

Absorption is the feeling of being fully engaged and immersed in one’s surroundings. People who spent just 15 minutes in a natural setting reported significantly greater absorption than those in built environments. Absorption may help explain why nature influences emotional experiences. Specifically, rather than simply being outside, it is the extent to which people feel captivated by natural features, such as sounds and visual details, that is central to these emotional benefits.

Importantly, not all positive emotions are influenced by nature in the same way. Nature may have a stronger effect on awe, a feeling of wonder and amazement, than on more neutral feelings such as contentment. Natural environments may have a stronger influence on more euphoric positive emotions. Additionally, increases in awe might help us with focusing on the present moment, higher life satisfaction, improved perspective-taking, and increased meaning in life. Together, these patterns suggest that awe may support effective emotion regulation.

Overall, emotion regulation is not only a process that happens internally, but is also influenced by the environments people are in. Natural settings in particular may increase positive emotions such as awe by helping people feel more present and engaged. Therefore, even brief moments, such as sitting in a park, can lead to noticeable increases in positivity.

Ballew, M. T., & Omoto, A. M. (2018). Absorption: How nature experiences promote awe and other positive emotions. *Ecopsychology*, *10*(1), 26–35. doi: 10.1089/eco.2017.0044

When people think about managing anger, they often focus on traditional methods such as taking deep breaths. However, recent research suggests that companion animals can also help us manage anger. Trait anger refers to a consistent tendency to experience anger more frequently and intensely, making it harder to control. This relates to emotion regulation, which refers to how people manage and respond to their emotions. Specifically, people with higher levels of trait anger often struggle more with regulating their emotions.

Research suggests that forming a strong bond with a companion animal (e.g., cat, dog) may help people manage anger more effectively. Specifically, when people with higher trait anger have a strong bond with a companion animal, the link between anger and emotional difficulties lessens. One explanation for this is that, unlike some human relationships the involve conflict or judgement, relationships with animals are often entirely accepting. This acceptance can create a sense of comfort that supports emotional processing.

Importantly, research shows that simply interacting with or owning a pet will not have the same effect because having a strong bond is essential. Additionally, trait anger does not impact how strong of a bond someone can form with a companion animal, meaning that people who are more prone to anger are still able to form meaningful relationships with their pets. The type of pet does not appear to make a difference, as similar results were found for both cat and dog owners. Furthermore, younger people tend to experience greater benefits from having a strong bond with a companion animal, as they tend to have greater difficulties with emotion regulation.

Overall, strong bonds with companion animals can help reduce the emotional impact of trait anger and support emotion regulation.

Bochicchio, V., Scandurra, C., Dolce, P., Scandurra, A., Freda, M. F., & Mezzalira, S. (2024). Affective regulation and trait anger personalities: The buffering effect of the companion animal bond. *European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education*, *14*(8), 2377–2389. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe14080157

The emotional tone that a mother uses at home can play an important role in how twins interact with each other. This is because family relationships are deeply interconnected, meaning that parent interactions spill over into other relationships. Specifically, how mothers interact with their children predicts how siblings interact with each another.

For instance, when mothers express more positive emotions to their children such as warmth and praise, and fewer negative or critical comments, their twin children were more likely to have a close and positive relationship. Particularly, when positivity was more common than criticism, twin children spent more time together, showed more affection towards one another, and got along better.

However, research suggests that simply reducing critical comments may not be enough to foster positive sibling relationships. Instead, warm relationships must be modelled so children can learn how to interact cooperatively rather than competitively. Therefore, modelling is key to developing strong sibling relationships.

Research also shows that mothers often speak to twins in different ways. These differences suggest that children within the same family may not receive the same emotional responses. Surprisingly, however, greater differences in mothers’ emotional expression toward their children was not associated with poorer sibling relationships. Rather, greater differences in emotional expression toward each child was associated with more positive sibling relationships.

Overall, these findings shift the focus from simply reducing negativity to demonstrating warm relationships within the home, as strong sibling relationships are built through positive modeling. However, differences in treatment do not seem to matter as long as interactions remain positive.

Mark, K. M., Pike, A., Latham, R. M., Oliver, B. R. (2017). The maternal emotional climate predicts twin sibling relationship quality. *Twin Research and Human Genetics* *20* (2), 150–160. https://doi.org/10.1017/thg.2017.8

Maladaptive perfectionism refers to setting extremely high standards, while being very critical of oneself, especially when those standards are not met. People who struggle with perfectionism tend to experience emotion dysregulation. Research suggests that people with perfectionism often experience stronger and more negative emotional reactions compared to others.

For example, when people with perfectionism experience stress or failure, they tend to feel more negative emotions such as anxiety and disappointment. These emotional responses can also last longer, as people with perfectionism tend to experience negative emotions even after the situation has ended. Interestingly, perfectionism is also associated with emotion dysregulation in response to positive experiences. For instance, some people with perfectionism report feeling dissatisfied or negative even after achieving a goal.

Additionally, experiencing frequent and intense negative emotions can limit the different ways people cope with their emotions. For instance, they may begin to rely on less effective ways of managing emotions, such as self-blame. Over time, this can contribute to emotional distress and dysregulation. Moreover, people with perfectionism may also find it hard to identify and express their emotions. Low emotional awareness can make it harder to respond to emotions in effective ways. Therefore, these challenges suggest that perfectionism may substantially impact emotion regulation.

Overall, maladaptive perfectionism is not only about having high standards, but also about how individuals experience and manage their emotions. Specifically, maladaptive perfectionism is associated with more intense and long-lasting emotions, as well as fewer ways of coping with these emotions.

Malivoire, B. L., Kuo, J. R., Antony, M. M., & Department of Psychology, Ryerson University. (2019). An examination of emotion dysregulation in maladaptive perfectionism. In *Clinical Psychology Review* https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2019.04.006