Cultivating Emotional Granularity.

Emotional granularity—the ability to make fine-grained distinctions in one's feelings—is linked to healthy emotionality, but it is unclear whether it can be intentionally cultivated. Drawing on shared features of Buddhist philosophy and modern constructionist theory, the authors hypothesize that contemplative practices, particularly mindfulness-style practices originating in Buddhist traditions, may improve granularity. The paper outlines theoretical foundations and specific practices that could bolster this skill, then proposes future directions for empirical testing.

Study at a glance

Abstract

An emerging focus in affective science is the expertise that underlies healthy emotionality. A growing literature highlights emotional granularity - the ability to make fine-grained distinctions in one's affective feelings - as an important skill. Cross-sectional evidence indicating the benefits of emotional granularity raises the question of how emotional granularity might be intentionally cultivated through training. To address this question, we present shared theoretical features of centuries-old Buddhist philosophy and modern constructionist theory that motivate the hypothesis that contemplative practices may improve granularity. We then examine the specific mindfulness-style practices originating in Buddhist traditions that are hypothesized to bolster granularity. We conclude with future directions to empirically test whether emotional granularity can be intentionally cultivated.