James Gross Honored with 2025 Grawemeyer Award for Contributions to Emotion Regulation

December 6, 2024 - 22:30

Stanford Psychology Professor James Gross has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Grawemeyer Award for his groundbreaking work in the field of emotional regulation. As the Ernest R. Hilgard Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences, Gross has made significant contributions to understanding how individuals manage their emotions. His research emphasizes the importance of regulating feelings before they fully develop, a method known as antecedent-focused emotion regulation. This approach is considered healthier compared to response-focused emotion regulation, which involves managing emotions after they have already manifested.

Gross's work includes the exploration of two primary strategies: cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. Cognitive reappraisal allows individuals to reinterpret emotional situations in a way that diminishes their emotional impact, while expressive suppression involves controlling the outward expressions of one's feelings. His insights have simplified a complex debate in psychology, showcasing the critical role that emotion regulation plays in mental health and well-being.