TED Radio Hour A neuroscientist's guide to managing our emotions
39 snips
Mar 27, 2026 
Ethan Kross, psychologist and neuroscientist at the University of Michigan who studies emotion regulation and self-control. He compares emotions to instruments we can learn to play. Topics include how intense feelings derail decisions, distanced self-talk using your own name, sensory shifts like music and awe, when venting backfires, and assembling an emotional advisory board.
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Mom Uses Practice Then Distraction To Regain Control
- Louisa, a mother on a plane, used practiced rehearsal to calmly administer an EpiPen when her child went into allergic shock.
- Afterward she spiraled with counterfactuals until distracting, immersive activity with her daughter proved emotion-regulating and rebuilt her confidence.
Use Your Name To Talk Yourself Into Perspective
- Distanced self-talk (using your name or 'you') reduces negative emotion quickly and with low effort.
- Neuroimaging shows amplitude of emotional responses falls within seconds without extra regulatory effort when people use this tactic.
Use Sensory Triggers Like Music And Awe Strategically
- Use the senses deliberately—music, scent, touch, vision—to shift emotions because they're low-effort and powerful.
- Kross keeps playlists that reliably lift or calm him and cites studies linking awe experiences to PTSD reductions.
