Co-regulation of emotions

Deep bonds and relationships can exist between humans and animals. Social interaction, even across species, can promote emotional balance and well-being. This leads to processes of emotion transfer between individuals. This means that the emotion of one individual, be it a human or an animal, can be transferred to the other person. We ourselves are familiar with this from stressful situations such as visits to the vet, car journeys with an animal or sudden loud noises. Who was scared first? Who was startled first? This often happens without us realizing it. Sometimes, however, we notice that an emotional impulse stirs within us and shortly afterwards affects another person or an animal. Emotions are contagious.

In conscious moments, there is the potential to regulate and calm the physical reactions associated with the emotion. If we regulate the body, the emotions are no longer fueled and can subside. If this is not possible on our own, the presence of a calmer counterpart can sometimes help. We call this co-regulation. The best-known example of this would be close caregivers such as parents or relatives calming a crying child. Co-regulation can also take place between humans and animals and they can calm each other down.

However, knowledge about methods of self-regulation or co-regulation is often lacking and tends to be intuitive or unknowing, with few suitable techniques. Knowledge of emotion transfer and regulation is therefore very valuable. It is essential to make your own experiences, to feel into your own body and to observe the other person, in our case the animal, attentively. It is important to recognize how much we influence each other. In doing so, we can also become aware that sometimes it is the animals that co-regulate us. We often find their presence calming. But do we also succeed in calming them down?

The value of the ability to self-regulate and maintain inner calm becomes clear when we observe that animals often seek the closeness of people who convey inner calm and security. Emotion transfer is a kind of physical communication between two individuals. The basic prerequisite for this is the now scientifically recognized assumption that all mammals feel the same basic emotions. These basic emotions, which we share with animals, have the same origin in deep regions of the brain. It is assumed that individuals with similarly shaped brain structures have the same perceptions. These historically old structures receive external and internal sensory impressions (stimuli) and transform them into physical sensations, which we then call emotions.

If this is followed by a mental evaluation in terms of good or bad, the emotion is transformed into a feeling. The transition is fluid and often unconscious. The definition of emotion and feeling is often confused, which in turn illustrates how little we actually know about it, even though it affects us every day.

Summary:

Stimulus --> physically perceptible emotion --> conscious or unconscious evaluation --> stimulus response to reduce the tension and restore an initial equilibrium

Regulatory processes are required to return from an activated emotion to the initial state. If an individual can return to this initial state themselves, this is referred to as a healthy ability to regulate. In relationships, one individual can help the other to regulate strong emotions. This is known as co-regulation.

The ability to self-regulate can be weakened. In particular, early, repeated or sudden experiences of separation in relationships weaken the ability to self-regulate. The nervous system may then react inappropriately to strong emotions. This leads to dysregulation.

Healthy relationships can have a supportive and co-regulating effect. However, if the feeling of attachment or security suffers, for example, because one partner pushes the other even further out of balance instead of helping them back to basics, the dysregulation increases. Knowledge of the potential for mutual co-regulation and the danger of unhealthy dysregulation is not yet widespread. People know even less about these processes in interaction with animals, although mutual regulation or destabilizing dysregulation can also occur here.

Scientific studies on attachment and autonomous (independent) regulation via the vagus nerve argue that the need to connect with others is innate in both humans and social animals. The process of emotion regulation is regulated by interactions.

When co-regulation works well, the emotions of both individuals are moderated over time and return to baseline equilibrium. Co-dysregulation, on the other hand, means that the emotions of both individuals are intensified and even move away from the initial equilibrium.

Repeated experiences of co-dysregulation lead to difficulties in building a good relationship. This can even lead to the breaking off of relationships. Repeated experiences of dysregulation at a young age lead to a reduced ability to react appropriately to stimuli later on. The ability to adapt is reduced. In contrast, the experience of co-regulation through beneficial interactions leads to feelings of emotional security and trust. This satisfies the basic need of social beings and contributes to their well-being.

Experiences of dysregulation can also be made up for later through healthy relationships and beneficial experiences due to the brain's ability to restructure (neuroplasticity). Depending on the severity of the dysregulation, however, this can be achieved to varying degrees and is influenced by multiple factors.

Sources used:

• Leconstant C, Spitz E. Integrative Model of Human-Animal Interactions: A One Health-One Welfare Systemic Approach to Studying HAI. Front Vet Sci. 2022 Jul 29;9:656833. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.656833 . PMID: 35968006 ; PMCID: PMC9372562.
• Sbarra DA, Hazan C. Coregulation, dysregulation, self-regulation: an integrative analysis and empirical agenda for understanding adult attachment, separation, loss, and recovery. Pers Soc Psychol Rev. 2008 May;12(2):141-67. doi: 10.1177/1088868308315702 . PMID: 18453476