Research

Developing contextualized ways of studying emotion

Experiences of emotion emerge from bodily sensations (warmth, fatigue), perceptions of the surrounding environment (a soft pillow, the sound of rain), what we and others around us are doing (laughing, sighing), thoughts and associated concepts (weekend, deadline), and more. This tapestry of features varies from moment-to-moment, making each experience unique.

For this reason, I use innovative multimodal means of studying emotion as it occurs in the real-world contexts people must constantly navigate (Hoemann, Khan, et al., 2020, Scientific Reports; Hoemann et al., 2024, preprint). These methods capture situated variation in emotion that cannot be observed in the lab and support the hypothesis that people make use of contextual information every time they experience or perceive an emotion (Le Mau, Hoemann, et al., 2021, Nature Communications).

Variation in emotion is not random, but is in part organized by personal histories, beliefs, and modes of attention. One source of individual differences in emotion is what I describe as expertise in emotion (Hoemann et al., 2021, Psychological Bulletin): for instance, being more aware of one’s emotions or experiencing them more precisely (“disappointed” instead of simply “bad”). I have found that people who experience more precise emotions also exhibit more specific patterns of physiological activity in everyday life, suggesting a link between psychological and biological regulation (Hoemann, Khan, et al., 2021, Psychophysiology). Incorporating language as a window onto emotion, I have found that people who report more precise emotions also describe a greater diversity of concurrent environments and activities (Hoemann et al., 2023, Affective Science).

Modeling individual differences in emotion

Understanding cultural differences in emotion

Cultures differ in the values they prioritize and how they enact these values through social relationships, and these larger systems of meaning have bearing on emotion. In field studies with university students in China and Hadza hunter-gatherers in Tanzania, my colleagues and I found that the interpretation of non-verbal behavior is influenced by culture (Hoemann et al., 2019, Emotion; Gendron et al., 2020, Scientific Reports). I have also compared folk understandings of emotion through interviews with Hadza hunter-gatherers and American students and community members (Hoemann et al., 2023, Perspectives on Psychological Science). These observations showcase diversity in meaning-making, challenging common assumptions about the way we define and measure emotion.

The situational, individual, and cultural variation we observe in emotion prompts me to better understand how people come to have experiences of emotion – that is, how emotions develop. My colleagues and I propose that the brain acquires ‘emotions’ in interaction with the local physical and social environment and that language – specifically, emotion words – plays a crucial role in that process (Hoemann et al., 2019, Developmental Psychology). These same learning mechanisms may also operate throughout the lifespan (Hoemann, Hartley, et al., 2021, Psychophysiology), as experiences of emotion shift over time, either organically or following intervention. For instance, I have shown that expertise in emotion increases through repeated reflection on daily experiences (Hoemann et al., 2021, Frontiers in Psychology).