SPOS #982 – Ethan Kross On Management For Your Emotions

May 4, 2025

Ethan Kross, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan and author of 'Chatter' and 'Shift,' shares his insights on mastering emotions in today's chaotic world. He discusses the importance of a flexible emotional toolkit tailored to individuals. Kross highlights how negativity in media affects our emotional health and advocates for strategic news consumption. He explores the role of AI in mental wellness while emphasizing that human connections remain crucial. Ultimately, he shows how even negative emotions can fuel creativity and success.

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ANECDOTE

Carpenter's Toolbox Metaphor

Ethan Kross shares about his grandfather, a master carpenter with extensive toolboxes.
This serves as a metaphor for having a diverse emotional toolkit to handle different life challenges.

INSIGHT

Focus on Emotional Extremes

Society focuses on emotional extremes and predominantly on negative emotions.
Yet, people generally have more positive experiences and show resilience more than vulnerability.

INSIGHT

Normalization of Emotional Distress

Emotional turbulence may reflect increased willingness to admit distress rather than an actual rise in suffering.
Cultural shifts and mental health destigmatization could lead to more open expressions of vulnerability.

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Welcome to episode #982 of Six Pixels of Separation - The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Ethan Kross is one of the sharpest minds on the planet when it comes to understanding how our emotions shape our thoughts, decisions, and relationships. As a professor of psychology and business at the University of Michigan and the author of the bestselling books Chatter and Shift - Managing Your Emotions - So They Don’t Manage You, Ethan brings together rigorous research and practical insight in ways that are deeply human and immediately useful. In our conversation, we explore what it takes to manage emotions in a world that feels like it’s dialed up to 11 - from doomscrolling and overstimulation to the growing cultural obsession with emotional transparency. Ethan challenges some of our most common assumptions about how emotions work (no, avoidance isn’t always bad; yes, anger has a place) and makes the case for building a “diverse emotional toolkit” - strategies that are flexible, personal, and context-specific. We talk about the influence of technology, how AI might fit into the future of mental wellness, and why dosing your news intake might be as important as getting your steps in. For anyone feeling like their emotions are a little closer to the surface these days, Ethan offers not just understanding - but agency. Enjoy the conversation...

Running time: 48:37.
Hello from beautiful Montreal.
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Here is my conversation with Ethan Kross.
Shift - Managing Your Emotions - So They Don’t Manage You.
Chatter.
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Chapters:

(00:00) - Understanding Emotional Turbulence. (03:06) - The Toolbox of Emotion Management. (06:00) - The Misconception of Emotions. (09:00) - Collective Emotional Breakdown? (11:51) - The Role of Media in Emotional Perception. (14:45) - The Balance of Technology and Emotion. (18:06) - Navigating Emotional Overstimulation. (27:09) - Dosing the News for Better Wellbeing. (30:40) - Navigating Social Media and Emotional Health. (31:10) - Understanding Emotions and Meta-Emotions. (34:44) - The Shift from Self-Talk to Emotional Regulation. (38:00) - AI's Role in Emotional Management. (43:06) - Balancing Emotion Management and High Performance. (46:38) - Tools for Managing Emotions in Different Situations. (49:53) - The Power of Combining Emotional Tools.