Language and emotion -- insights from Psychological Science
2012-08-24
(Press-News.org) We use language every day to express our emotions, but can this language actually affect what and how we feel? Two new studies from Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, explore the ways in which the interaction between language and emotion influences our well-being.
Putting Feelings into Words Can Help Us Cope with Scary Situations
Katharina Kircanski and colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles investigated whether verbalizing a current emotional experience, even when that experience is negative, might be an effective method for treating for people with spider phobias. In an exposure therapy study, participants were split into different experimental groups and they were instructed to approach a spider over several consecutive days. One group was told to put their feelings into words by describing their negative emotions about approaching the spider. Another group was asked to 'reappraise' the situation by describing the spider using emotionally neutral words. A third group was told to talk about an unrelated topic (things in their home) and a fourth group received no intervention. Participants who put their negative feelings into words were most effective at lowering their levels of physiological arousal. They were also slightly more willing to approach the spider. The findings suggest that talking about your feelings – even if they're negative – may help you to cope with a scary situation.
Published online August 16, 2012 in Psychological Science
Lead author: Katharina Kircanski — katharina.kircanski@gmail.com
Unlocking Past Emotion: The Verbs We Use Can Affect Mood and Happiness
Our memory for events is influenced by the language we use. When we talk about a past occurrence, we can describe it as ongoing (I was running) or already completed (I ran). To investigate whether using these different wordings might affect our mood and overall happiness, Will Hart of the University of Alabama conducted four experiments in which participants either recalled or experienced a positive, negative, or neutral event. They found that people who described a positive event with words that suggested it was ongoing felt more positive. And when they described a negative event in the same way, they felt more negative. The authors conclude that one potential way to improve mood could be to talk about negative past events as something that already happened as opposed to something that was happening.
Forthcoming in Psychological Science
Lead author: Will Hart — wphart@ua.edu
###
Please contact Anna Mikulak at 202-293-9300 or amikulak@psychologicalscience.org for more information.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2012-08-24
HOUSTON – (Aug. 23, 2012) – A nanoparticle developed at Rice University and tested in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) may bring great benefits to the emergency treatment of brain-injury victims, even those with mild injuries.
Combined polyethylene glycol-hydrophilic carbon clusters (PEG-HCC), already being tested to enhance cancer treatment, are also adept antioxidants. In animal studies, injections of PEG-HCC during initial treatment after an injury helped restore balance to the brain's vascular system.
The results were reported this month in the ...
2012-08-24
Analysis of small, repeating earthquakes in an Antarctic ice sheet may not only lead to an understanding of glacial movement, but may also shed light on stick slip earthquakes like those on the San Andreas fault or in Haiti, according to Penn State geoscientists.
"No one has ever seen anything with such regularity," said Lucas K. Zoet, recent Penn State Ph. D. recipient, now a postdoctoral fellow at Iowa State University. "An earthquake every 25 minutes for a year."
The researchers looked at seismic activity recorded during the Transantarctic Mountains Seismic Experiment ...
2012-08-24
NOAA researchers are getting a comprehensive view of the ocean floor using a new instrument, and have confirmed that there are high numbers of young sea scallops off of Delaware Bay.
Unofficially dubbed the "Seahorse" because of its curved and spiny profile, the instrument is the latest and most sophisticated version of a survey system developed at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and used on sea scallop resource surveys conducted by NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC). This is the first year that the sea scallop survey has used both a dredge ...
2012-08-24
Based on ten years of fieldwork in the Tetons of Wyoming, WCS Conservation Biologist, University of Montana Professor and study author Dr. Joel Berger looked at whether body size of juvenile moose and maternal presence were related to survival of the young animals. In animals from elk to lizards and fish, size matters, and larger individuals enjoy a survival advantage. However, results of Berger's study showed that for juvenile moose, body mass had no significant effect on overwinter survival. Maternal presence did.
The study, "Estimation of Body-Size Traits by Photogrammetry ...
2012-08-24
By affixing nanoscale gold spheres onto a microscopic bead of glass, researchers have created a super-sensor that can detect even single samples of the smallest known viruses. The sensor uses a peculiar behavior of light known as "whispering gallery mode," named after the famous circular gallery in St. Paul's Cathedral in London, where a whisper near the wall can be heard around the gallery.
In a similar way, waves of light are sent whirling around the inside of a small glass bead, resonating at a specific frequency. Just as a small object on a vibrating violin string ...
2012-08-24
Cities – with their concrete canyons, isolated greenery, and congested traffic – create seemingly chaotic and often powerful wind patterns known as urban flows. Carried on these winds are a variety of environmental hazards, including exhaust particles, diesel fumes, chemical residues, ozone, and the simple dust and dander produced by dense populations.
In a paper published in the American Institute of Physics (AIP) journal Physics of Fluids, researchers present the unexpected finding that pollutant particles, rather than scattering randomly, prefer to accumulate in specific ...
2012-08-24
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues have identified PHF20, a novel transcriptional factor, and clarified its role in maintaining the stability and transcription of p53, a gene that allows for both normal cell growth and tumor suppression. PHF20, the researchers found, plays a previously unknown and unique role in regulating p53.
When p53 is activated, it can mend DNA damage and eliminate cancer cells by binding to DNA. How p53 maintains its basal level and becomes activated remain elusive, but identifying transcription factor PHF20 and understanding its ...
2012-08-24
Paperless Trail Inc (PTI), recently announced the 2012 Q2 release of updates for the company's detailed Garmin compatible Philippine GPS Maps.
PTI has developed complete GPS maps of the Philippines to support its various mapping products and services, including support for Garmin navigation devices. The maps feature detailed coverage from regional down to street level, and include all major roads, toll ways, national highways, and ferry routes.
With nationwide coverage, the Philippine GPS maps have data on key cities all over the country including NCR, Cebu, Davao, ...
2012-08-24
Launch of new Solar Outdoor Lights adds a new dimension when it comes to decorating your home in a natural way while keeping it light on the pocket. A number of new product options are on offer that not only decorate and light up the house but can also aid in movement and home security.
Launch of new Solar Outdoor Lights including garden lights, wall lights, spot lights, security lights, accent lights, path lights and other products, offer a great alternate to traditional wire based lighting system that is a bit too expensive and takes a lot of time and effort for installation.
With ...
2012-08-24
Kurtinz Group offers the best platforms to purchase designer curtains and fabrics on the Internet. The 5 different platforms made by the group are intended to provide convenience and ease to customers and clients around the globe.
The dawn of the Internet spurred the growth of companies and businesses that are selling products and services on the web. Basically, the Kurtinz Group is one of them. Since a lot of people started looking for curtains and fabrics on the web, the company decided to create 5 different platforms to provide the needs of their clients.
Every ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Language and emotion -- insights from Psychological Science
