Kwik Brain with Jim Kwik How to Control Your Emotions & Benefit from Negative Ones with Ethan Kross
18 snips
Mar 17, 2025 
Ethan Kross, an award-winning professor at the University of Michigan and author of 'Shift: Managing Your Emotions', shares his insights on harnessing emotions as tools for success. He emphasizes that emotions, both positive and negative, can be functional when used appropriately. Kross discusses innovative strategies like distant self-talk and mental time travel to better manage feelings. He also highlights the importance of personalized approaches to emotional regulation, encouraging listeners to experiment with various tools for improved well-being.
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Emotions Defined
- Emotions are responses triggered by meaningful events, real or imagined.
- They involve bodily reactions, thoughts, feelings, and expressions, acting like a software program.
Anger as a Tool
- Ethan Kross uses anger as an example of a functional emotion.
- He describes a scenario where his daughter rides her bike without a helmet, triggering his anger to ensure her safety.
Functionality of Emotions
- All emotions are functional in the right proportions, even negative ones.
- They become unhelpful when experienced out of proportion, requiring management strategies.
