Desired emotional states: their nature, causes, and implications for emotion regulation

想要的情绪状态：对情绪调节的本质，原因和启示
Maya Tamir and Tony Gutentag
《Current Opinion in Psychology》

研究目的、假设

• Whereas most research on emotion regulation focuses on strategies, there is little research on the emotional states people desire (i.e. emotion goals), which motivate emotion regulation.To promote adaptive emotion regulation, emotional experiences and behavior, it is necessary to identify and understand what people want to feel, and why they want to feel that way.(review)

Do people differ in the emotions they desire?

Desired emotions differ across people.

1. Desired emotions differ by demographic variables.(age & gender)
2. Desired emotions differ by personality(extraversion, neuroticism, trait anger,high self-esteem)
3. Desired emotions differ by culture.

• culturally valued（European Americans desire excitement > East Asians, whereas East Asians desire calmness > European Americans do. European Americans are also more motivated than Asians to savor尽情享受 positive emotions and repair negative emotions .）
• differ by religion（compared to Christians, Jews desire more pride, whereas Muslims desire more sadness）

Desired emotions differ across situations.

Why do people desire certain emotions?

1. emotions can influence behavior, people sometimes desire emotions to optimize behavior（eg：negotiating-anger）.
2. emotions can influence social relationships, people desire emotions for social benefits.Group-based emotions are felt on behalf of a group. People who want to connect to their group, may desire group-based emotions. (eg: people wanted to feel sadder on a national day of mourning)
3. emotions inform us about the world and about ourselves, people might desire emotions that **reaffirm重申 their beliefs about the world or about themselves.

Desired emotions shape emotion regulation, emotion experience, and behavior

• Desired emotions can contribute to emotion regulation at the individual（maladaptive emotion regulation-depression ） and the social levels

展望new challenges

1. future research should examine both what people want to feel (i. e. desired emotions) and how they try to achieve it (i.e. emotion regulation strategies).
2. future research should examine the development
   of desired emotions.
3. future research should examine the emotions we desire for ourselves, but also those we desire for others.（interpersonal emotion regulation）

感悟

Interpersonal emotion regulation is important in close relationships, where people influence the emotions of another for instrumental benefits, and are similarly influenced by the other