Emotions in conflicts: understanding emotional processes sheds light on the nature and potential resolution of intractable conflicts

•Emotions play a central role in shaping public opinion in intractable conflict.•Emotions are relevant for conflict management, conflict resolution and reconciliation.•Each emotion's appraisals, emotional goals and action tendencies uniquely drive policy preferences.•Emotion regulation offers a path to reduce conflict and advance peace.•New approaches to emotion regulation are especially relevant for intractable conflict.

In recent years, researchers have been making substantial advances in understanding the central role of emotions in intractable conflict. We now know that discrete emotions uniquely shape policy preferences in conflict through their unique emotional goals and action tendencies in all stages of conflict including conflict management, conflict resolution and reconciliation. Drawing on this understanding, recent research also points to emotion regulation as a path to reduce conflict and advance peace, exploring both direct and indirect strategies of emotion regulation.