A brief, but nuanced, review of emotional granularity and emotion differentiation research

Emotional granularity (EG) and emotion differentiation (ED) both refer to the specificity of representations/experiences of emotion, or, in other words, the ability to make fine-grained, nuanced distinctions between similar emotions. Research on EG and ED is in its infancy; however, as reviewed in this paper, accumulating evidence suggests that EG and ED are associated with psychosocial adjustment. Studies have demonstrated that schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, major depression, autism, and alcohol problems are associated with lower levels of EG/ED. This evidence strongly suggests that EG/ED may represent emotion regulation resources that buffer against the deleterious consequences of negative emotions. Research more clearly establishing the nature and construct validity of EG/ED and more clearly specifying their role in the development of psychosocial adjustment problems is needed.