Emotion regulation from an action-control perspective

Bob Bramson; Ivan Toni; Karin Roelofs

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105397

Emotion regulation from an action-control perspective

Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2023 Oct:153:105397. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105397. Epub 2023 Sep 20.

Authors

Bob Bramson¹, Ivan Toni², Karin Roelofs³

Affiliations

¹ Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Behavioural Science Institute (BSI), Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 HR Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Electronic address: bob.bramson@donders.ru.nl.
² Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
³ Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Behavioural Science Institute (BSI), Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 HR Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

PMID: 37739325
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105397

Abstract

Despite increasing interest in emotional processes in cognitive science, theories on emotion regulation have remained rather isolated, predominantly focused on cognitive regulation strategies such as reappraisal. However, recent neurocognitive evidence suggests that early emotion regulation may involve sensorimotor control in addition to other emotion-regulation processes. We propose an action-oriented view of emotion regulation, in which feedforward predictions develop from action-selection mechanisms. Those can account for acute emotional-action control as well as more abstract instances of emotion regulation such as cognitive reappraisal. We argue the latter occurs in absence of overt motor output, yet in the presence of full-blown autonomic, visceral, and subjective changes. This provides an integrated framework with testable neuro-computational predictions and concrete starting points for intervention to improve emotion control in affective disorders.

Keywords: Emotion control; Emotion regulation; Emotional-action selection; Forward modelling.

Publication types

Review