How humans regulate emotions and why some people are so bad at doing that

. The cognitive control of emotion involves an interaction between the brain's ancient and subcortical emotion systems

Take the following scenario. You are nearing the end of a busy day at work, when a comment from your boss diminishes what’s left of your dwindling patience. You turn, red-faced, towards the source of your indignation. It is then that you stop, reflect, and choose not to voice your displeasure. After all, the shift is nearly over.

This may not be the most exciting plot, but it shows how we as humans can regulate our emotions.

Our regulation of emotions is not limited to stopping an outburst of anger – it means that we can