Positive emotion regulation: addressing two myths

•We address whether and when people choose to down-regulate positive emotions.•We address how emotion regulation strategies can be categorized.•We discuss how any regulatory behavior can be used as a form of avoidance.

To understand positive emotion regulation, researchers and practitioners must consider a person's unique motivation for specific behaviors within each situation rather than making sweeping (and ultimately inaccurate) generalizations. Two myths about the notion of positive emotion regulation are addressed. Our thesis is that systematic and concerted attention to context will ensure that the wisdom of emotion regulation is more accessible, generalizable, and useful.