Variation and consistency in the links between religion and emotion regulation

Emotions play a central role in the religious experience. This suggests that religious institutions, practices, and beliefs may actively shape the emotions of adherents, such as by influencing how they regulate emotions. An emerging literature has documented the various links between religion and emotion regulation. This article reviews these links with regards to various elements of emotion regulation, including beliefs about the controllability of emotions, desired emotions, emotion regulation strategies, and intrinsic versus extrinsic emotion regulation. For each link, emphasis is given to whether it is variable or consistent across religious affiliations, and if variable, what might explain such variation.