Emotion differentiation 2.0: Uncovering its componential and dynamical nature

Individuals differ from each other in how much they differentiate between their emotional experiences, something which has been labeled emotion differentiation (ED) or emotional granularity. In the past decade, numerous studies have shown that being able to differentiate between emotions is related to various aspects of well-being, such as lower levels of depression. However, while the importance of emotion differentiation is more and more apparent, two vital steps need to be taken in order to advance ED research, which we aim to do with the current project.

The first gap in ED research concerns what ED exactly encompasses. Typically, an individual’s level of ED is determined by examining how much a person differentiates between emotion terms. However, these terms only reflect what people report at the surface of emotional experience. Therefore, the first objective of this project is to examine exactly which emotional components people rely on when they differentiate between the emotions, which will lead to much more precise insights into what ED is.

The second limitation is that ED has so far been exclusively studied from a trait perspective. However, there is no compelling reason to assume that ED would not fluctuate across contexts and time. Thus, the second objective of this project is to examine ED from a within-person perspective, by looking at how an individual’s level of ED fluctuates over time, what drives these fluctuations, and how they are relevant for well-being.