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@article{170059,
        author = {vinay vaze},
        title = {A Study of Lexical Distance Between Languages and Emotional Regulation},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2024},
        volume = {11},
        number = {6},
        pages = {3058-3069},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=170059},
        abstract = {Although being able to speak more than one language has been shown to positively impact multilingual’s ability to regulate emotions in times of stress, anger, anxiety, fear etc. through different strategies such as the reappraisal of situations and suppression of emotions, little research has been done on whether lexical distance (LD), the measurement of similarities and differences between two languages, influences emotional regulation. In this paper, I explored the link between lexical distance and emotional regulation (across its two facets of reappraisal and suppression) by conducting a survey in which participants (liberal arts college students ages 18-24) were provided with reliable measures for each variable in counterbalanced blocks based on the languages they spoke. There was no significant difference between monolingual and multilingual speakers across either of the two Emotional Regulation facets nor was there a significant difference between the difference of English and Second Language scores as a function of lexical distance. However, lexical distance did influence reappraisal scores more significantly than suppression scores indicating that language may play a role in reappraising emotions, but suppression is a more innate process. Thus, overall, the impact of lexical distance may be overshadowed due to the complexity of multilingualism and personality trait differences across individuals. 

Language is a critical aspect of human communication that shapes our cultures, identities, and emotional experiences. From the moment we are born, we are immersed in a linguistic environment that shapes how we understand and interact with the world around us. The language(s) we speak influences our perception of emotions, our ability to communicate with others, and our cultural beliefs and practices. However, the role the structure of a language plays in our emotional development and regulation has historically, often, been overshadowed. 
The extent of the relationship between language and emotion has typically been limited to the acceptance that the things people say affect our emotions but also that we describe our emotions or the emotions we see in others with words. However, growing scientific research and consensus indicates that language plays a much deeper and nuanced role in the development and regulation of our emotions than previously thought (Pavlenko, 2006). Studying the ways in which language is beneficial to the development and self-perception of our emotions is especially important and beneficial in an increasingly interconnected global society in which languages and cultures are constantly intermingling and evolving. Furthermore, languages are different from each other to varying degrees and the differences in emotion categories and structures within a language may equip people with a larger metaphorical toolbox to handle and regulate emotions.  There is very little published research about whether emotional regulation is not only influenced by the number of languages a person speaks but also the structure of the language as well.},
        keywords = {},
        month = {November},
        }