Author(s)

Jiajing Song ¹, Ying Liu ², Tianya Hou ³, Wei Dong ³

Affiliation(s)

¹ School of Health Science and Engineering, Shanghai University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200093, China
² Shidong Hospital, Yangpu District, Shanghai, 200438, China
³ Department of Psychology, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200433, China

Corresponding Author

Wei Dong

ABSTRACT

Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS), as an emerging neuromodulation technique, has garnered significant attention in the field of emotional regulation in recent years. Negative emotions such as anxiety and depression have become increasingly prevalent in modern society, gradually emerging as major psychological issues affecting the quality of life in contemporary individuals. To explore effective emotional regulation methods, the medical and psychological communities have been continuously seeking novel therapeutic approaches. The rise of taVNS has brought new hope to this field. By stimulating the auricular vagus nerve, taVNS exerts positive effects on the regulation of negative emotions, with its mechanisms involving multiple neurobiological processes, including neurotransmitter release, neural circuit remodeling, and autonomic nervous system modulation. Although preliminary studies have revealed the potential mechanisms of taVNS, systematic research on its clinical applications remains insufficient. This article aims to review the regulatory effects of taVNS on negative emotions and its underlying mechanisms, explore its significance in the treatment of mood disorders, and discuss future research directions to provide theoretical support for clinical applications.

KEYWORDS

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation, negative emotions, emotional regulation, regulatory mechanisms, clinical applications

CITE THIS PAPER

Jiajing Song, Ying Liu, Tianya Hou, Wei Dong, The Regulation of Negative Emotion by Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Its Mechanism. Applied & Educational Psychology (2025) Vol. 6: 36-43. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/appep.2025.060405.

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