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1. Segregation of Three Resting-State Brain Networks Predicts Reappraisal Success Across The Lifespan

   https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsaf055  

   Pierce, Jordan E; Neta, Maital (May 2025, Social Cognitive And Affective Neuroscience)

   Abstract Cognitive reappraisal is a form of emotion regulation that involves the reinterpretation of stimuli to change one’s emotional state, often to reduce negative affect. Emotion regulation fMRI tasks generally yield increased activation in prefrontal cortex and, less consistently, decreased amygdala activation. Only a few studies, however, have examined how intrinsic brain organization, characterized via resting-state fMRI, relates to reappraisal, typically focusing on the same task-derived brain regions. Here, we administered an emotion regulation task where participants (n = 227, 6-80 years) viewed or downregulated responses to negative images, then completed a resting-state fMRI scan. We examined the functional connectivity in 300 whole-brain regions of interest comprising 13 functional networks. We found that the network segregation, or relative balance of within- and between-network connectivity, in the default mode (DMN), dorsal attention (DAN), and dorsal somatomotor (SMd) networks was associated with reappraisal success (controlling for age and movement). Specifically, greater connectivity within the DMN and DAN, lower connectivity within the SMd, and greater connectivity between the SMd and lateral SM networks predicted better reappraisal ability. These networks also partially overlapped with brain areas supporting emotion regulation and reactivity, suggesting that functional brain organization is a key factor in shaping emotion regulation across the lifespan. 

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2. The role of trait reappraisal in response to emotional ambiguity: A meta-analysis.

   Harp, Nicholas R.; Gross, James J.; Uusberg, Andero; Neta, Maital (November 2023, Emotion)

   Individuals exhibit a systematic valence bias—a specific form of interpretation bias—in response to emo- tional ambiguity. Accumulating evidence suggests most people initially respond to emotional ambiguity negatively and differ only in subsequent responses. We hypothesized that trait-level cognitive reap- praisal—an emotion regulation strategy involving the reinterpretation of affective meaning of stimuli— might explain individual differences in valence bias. To answer this question, we conducted a random- effects meta-analysis of 14 effect sizes from 13 prior studies (n = 2,086), identified via Google Scholar searches. We excluded studies (a) in languages other than English, (b) from non-peer-reviewed sources, or (c) nonempirical sources. We included studies with (a) the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, (b) a puta- tive measure of valence bias prior to any study-specific manipulations, and (c) adult human participants (i.e., 17+). Supporting our prediction, we found individuals with higher trait reappraisal exhibited a less negative bias (r = −.18, z = −4.04, p , .001), whereas there was a smaller, opposite effect for trait expressive sup- pression (r = .10, z = 2.14, p = .03). The effects did, however, vary across tasks with stronger effects observed among studies using the scrambled sentences task compared to the valence bias task. Although trait reappraisal accounted for only a small amount of variance, reappraisal may be one mechanism contrib- uting to variability in response to ambiguity. 

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3. Facial expressions of emotions by people with visual impairment and blindness via video conferencing

   https://doi.org/10.1177/02646196231163491  

   Kim, Hyung Nam (January 2023, British Journal of Visual Impairment)

   Many people including those with visual impairment and blindness take advantage of video conferencing tools to meet people. Video conferencing tools enable them to share facial expressions that are considered as one of the most important aspects of human communication. This study aims to advance knowledge of how those with visual impairment and blindness share their facial expressions of emotions virtually. This study invited a convenience sample of 28 adults with visual impairment and blindness to Zoom video conferencing. The participants were instructed to pose facial expressions of basic human emotions (anger, fear, disgust, happiness, surprise, neutrality, calmness, and sadness), which were video recorded. The facial expressions were analyzed using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) that encodes the movement of specific facial muscles called Action Units (AUs). This study found that there was a particular set of AUs significantly engaged in expressing each emotion, except for sadness. Individual differences were also found in AUs influenced by the participants’ visual acuity levels and emotional characteristics such as valence and arousal levels. The research findings are anticipated to serve as the foundation of knowledge, contributing to developing emotion-sensing technologies for those with visual impairment and blindness. 

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4. Emotion regulation strategy usage explains links between institutional caregiving and elevated internalizing symptoms

   https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.22078  

   Waizman, Yael H.; Méndez Leal, Adriana S.; Guassi Moreira, João F.; Saragosa‐Harris, Natalie M.; Ninova, Emilia; Silvers, Jennifer A. (January 2021, Developmental Psychobiology)

   null (Ed.)

   Early adversity, including institutional orphanage care, is associated with the development of internalizing disorders. Previous research suggests that institutionalization can disrupt emotion regulation processes, which contribute to internalizing symptoms. However, no prior work has investigated how early orphanage care shapes emotion regulation strategy usage (e.g., cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression) and whether the said strategy usage contributes to internalizing symptoms. This study probed emotion regulation strategy usage and internalizing symptoms in a sample of 36 previously institutionalized and 58 comparison youth. As hypothesized, previously institutionalized youth exhibited higher rates of internalizing symptoms than comparison youth, and more frequent use of suppression partially accounted for the relationship between early institutional care and elevated internalizing symptoms. Contrary to our initial hypotheses, reappraisal use did not buffer previously institutionalized or comparison youth against internalizing symptoms. Our findings highlight the potential utility of targeting emotion regulation strategy usage in adversity‐exposed youth in future intervention work. 

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5. Can Facial Expressions Predict Performance?: A Machine Learning Approach

   https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-76815-6_6  

   Kanade, Sameeran G; He, Jun; Hasanzadeh, Sogand; Pitts, Brandon; Esmaeili, Behzad; Duffy, Vincent G (December 2024, Springer Nature Switzerland)

   Emotional responses play a crucial role in decision-making processes and human interactions. This study used the FaceReader technology to investigate the correlation between emotional expressions (fear,anger, happiness, sadness, disgust, surprise, and arousal) and hazard recognition performance. The facial expressions of the participants during the hazard identification test were recorded and then analyzed using machine learning methodologies. The results highlighted the significantrelationship between emotional response and hazard identification per-formance, with heightened anger and happiness indicating higher hazard identification scores, while increased arousal and fear were associated with decreased performance. These findings demonstrate the relationship between emotional states and hazard identification performance.This study highlights the potential of integrating FaceReader technology with machine learning tools to predict the safety behavior of employees in the workplace and prevent hazards before they occur, and offers adata-driven approach using objective measures in improving workplace safety. 

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