Modern Wisdom #914 - Dr Ethan Kross - How To Stop Feeling Negative Emotions All The Time
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Mar 13, 2025 
Dr. Ethan Kross, Director of the Emotion and Self-Control Laboratory at the University of Michigan, dives into the intricacies of emotional regulation. He explores how negative emotions, like anxiety, can be reframed as opportunities for growth. Kross also discusses the interplay between genetics and emotional health strategies, emphasizing the importance of personalization. Listeners learn about sensory tools, such as music and environment, that can help cultivate emotional resilience and well-being.
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Defining Emotions and Feelings
- Emotions are responses to meaningful events, involving physiological, cognitive, and motor responses.
- Feelings are the conscious part of emotions, like noticing chills when sick, not the underlying blood composition changes.
Evolutionary Purpose of Emotions
- Emotions provide an evolutionary advantage, mobilizing optimal responses to situations.
- Anger helps correct wrongs, while sadness prompts reflection and social support after unfixable events.
Rejecting Toxic Positivity
- Toxic positivity, aiming to maximize positivity and avoid negativity, is unrealistic and unhelpful.
- Emotions, even negative ones like anxiety, are tools that can be useful in the right context.