Given the same emotional stimulation, there are differences between people in the intensity of their affective responses. A good deal has already been learned about persons at the upper end of this emotional intensity dimension. However, because this research has been mainly validational, it has not asked why such individual differences exist and how the process of emotional amplification actually works. The long-term objectives of this research program are a) to test a theoretical model of individual differences in emotional intensity, and b) to examine the role of cognition in the process of emotional amplification. Specifically, it is proposed that emotional individuals are actually underaroused and thus use their emotions to regulate their arousal level upward. The regular experience of strong emotions has clear health-related consequences. Affect intensity correlates with psychosomatic difficulties, such as headache proneness, insomnia, stomach disorders, and panic reactions. Several studies address the general question of whether individual differences in emotional intensity are related to an arousal regulation need and whether individuals regulate their emotional reactions based on their current level of arousal and their standing on the affect intensity dimension. A related issue concerns how the process of emotional amplification works. Many investigators have proposed a role for cognition in influencing the intensity of emotions, although there is little agreement as to the specific cognitive mechanisms responsible for such influence. Several studies thus address the following goals: 1. The development of a preliminary taxonomy of cognitive control strategies used in the modulation of emotional reactivity, 2. an examination of the cognitive control strategies utilized by high versus low emotionally reactive individuals, and 3. a test of whether the emotional reactions of """"""""normal"""""""" subjects can be increased or decreased by manipulating their use of the cognitive control strategies identified in the above studies.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH042057-06
Application #
3381062
Study Section
Cognition, Emotion, and Personality Research Review Committee (CEP)
Project Start
1987-02-01
Project End
1993-01-31
Budget Start
1991-03-01
Budget End
1992-01-31
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
1991
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Michigan Ann Arbor
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
791277940
City
Ann Arbor
State
MI
Country
United States
Zip Code
48109
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Cutler, S E; Larsen, R J; Bunce, S C (1996) Repressive coping style and the experience and recall of emotion: a naturalistic study of daily affect. J Pers 64:379-405
Bunce, S C; Larsen, R J; Peterson, C (1995) Life after trauma: personality and daily life experiences of traumatized people. J Pers 63:165-88
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Larsen, R J; Diener, E; Cropanzano, R S (1987) Cognitive operations associated with individual differences in affect intensity. J Pers Soc Psychol 53:767-74