The Neuroscience of Regret

Contributing blog by Melanie A. Greenberg, Ph.D.

A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams. ~John Barrymore

We often associate regret with old age – the tragic image of an elderly person feeling regretful over opportunities forever missed. Now, groundbreaking new brain research shows how this stereotype may be true, at least for a portion of the elderly who are depressed. On the other hand, healthy aging may involve the ability to regulate regret in the brain, and move on emotionally when there is nothing more that can be done. If we can teach depressed, older people to think like their more optimistic peers, we may be able to help them let go of regret. Read on to find out how the human brain processes regret.

How Our Brains Process Regret

Studies have used functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the brain in real time while participants performed computer tasks that asked them to choose between different options for investing money. When participants were shown how they could have done better with alternative strategies (to prime regret), there was decreased activity in the ventral striatum, an area associated with processing rewards. There was also increased activity in the amygdala, part of the brain’s limbic system that generates immediate emotional response to threat. Interestingly, when the experiment was done with a computer making all the choices, these regret patterns were not found, suggesting that a sense of personal accountability is necessary for regret.

Do Age and Depression Affect Regret?

A new study conducted by researchers at the University Medical Center – Hamburg, in Germany provides an exciting demonstration of how healthy older people may actively disengage from regret when nothing can be done. Young people, who, presumably have more life opportunities for change and depressed elderly, who, presumably, have a deficit in emotional processing, were more regretful when confronted with missed chances for financial gain.

These researchers scanned the brains of three groups of subjects using fMRI technology: Young people with average age 25, healthy older people with average age 66, and depressed older people, also 66 on average. All participants worked on a computer game during the brain scan in which they had to decide whether to keep opening boxes or rest. Each box could contain an amount of money or could contain a devil emblem that meant they lost all their money and ended that round of the game. To prime regret, researchers showed people after each round how far they could have gone to earn more money.

There were substantial differences in brain functioning between the healthy elderly and the other groups. On both appearance of the devil and being shown lost opportunities, the young and depressed elderly showed decreased neural activity in the ventral striatum, the area associated with reward processing. The healthy elderly did not, however, show this regretful pattern when they were shown how far they could have gone; only when they actually lost all their money. Instead, when faced with their missed alternatives, this group actually showed increased neural firing in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex, an area involved in emotional regulation and control. This is a new discovery, and suggests that their brains were actively working to successfully regulate the pain of regret

Behavioral strategies differed between the groups in a way that was consistent with the brain findings. Whereas the young and depressed elderly took more risks on subsequent rounds, the healthy elderly did not change their strategies across 80 rounds on average. When participants’ physiological functioning was assessed in another similar study using the same conditions, the healthy elderly showed less increase in blood pressure and skin conductance (a measure of sweating) than the other groups. Overall, the riskier strategy did not lead to more money, suggesting that the young and depressed elderly took on extra stress for no gain.

Can Our Brains Actually Improve Their Emotional Processing With Age?

An exciting implication of this study is that brain functioning does not merely deteriorate in old age, but that aging can result in better emotion-regulation and stress management. This is consistent with other research showing old people have less intense negative emotions and are happier than middle-aged people on average.

Can Mindfulness Help?

The researchers are now working on developing interventions to help depressed people regulate regret by showing them how much chance or outside factors played a role in their choices, versus their own actions. This should result in decreased self-blame and regret.

Research on Mindfulness has also shown that Mindfulness-based interventions can increase activity and even change brain structure in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex and other midbrain regions involved in emotional processing and regulation. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy is one of the few treatments shown to be effective at treating chronic, intractable depression. Although the research has not yet been done, Mindfulness training emphasizing keeping one’s focus on the present moment and reducing self-judgment and reactivity may be an alternative and potentially even more effective way of helping depressed elderly let go of destructive and chronic regret.

Final Thoughts

In summary, regret is a negative emotion that may be adaptive if it motivates action to learn from mistakes and become a smarter or better person. However, getting stuck in regret where there is nothing that can be done to change the situation can be damaging to mind and body. For the elderly, the developmental task may be to learn to live with and accept the life they have had, focusing on the positive aspects and forgiving themselves both for mistakes made and opportunities not taken. Feeling that one has done the best one can, given the circumstances and letting go of regret can lead to self-compassion and peace.

Read my companion post about the Psychology of Regret and learn how to harness your regret to make better choices when things can be changed.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-mindful-self-express/201205/the-psychology-regret

The Cost of a Good Night’s Sleep

American writer and humorist W.C. Fields once remarked that “the best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep.” While this seems like an obvious remedy, a good night’s sleep is not always so easy to come by. An increasing number of Americans are resorting to sleeping pills to achieve rest (up to 10% of adults by some estimates), but, according to a new study published in BMJ Open, this use of sleeping pills may lead to eternal sleep, not beauty sleep.

The authors of the study conducted a longitudinal review of electronic medical records from a health system in rural Pennsylvania. They examined more than 10,500 patients who received sleeping pill prescriptions, along with nearly 24,000 matched controls. The average age of subjects was 54 years, and they were followed for an average of 2.5 years between 2002 and 2007. Medications taken for sleep included older sedatives and hypnotics, such as benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and antihistamines, and newer non-benzodiazepines, such as zolpidem, eszopiclone, and zaleplon.

The raw data report that the death rate for all sleeping pill users was nearly 5 times as high as the death rate among controls. After adjusting for lifestyle, age, gender, marital status, body mass index, race, and other confounding factors and health conditions, the death rate was still more than 4.5 times higher among sleeping pill users.

When divided into groups based on the number of sleeping pills consumed, the death rate showed a dose-response relationship. That is, the lowest third of sleeping pill consumption (0.4 to 18 doses per year) showed a death rate that was 3.6 times higher than controls; the middle third of consumption (18 to 132 doses per year) showed a death rate that was 4.43 times higher; and the top third of consumption (more than 132 doses per year) showed a death rate that was 5.32 times higher.

Further, the middle third of consumption exhibited a 20% increase in the risk of a new major cancer and the top third exhibited a 35% increase. The risks of lymphomas and lung, colon, and prostate cancers among people who used sleeping pills were higher than the risks among current smokers.

The authors ruled out the possibility that the increased risks of death and cancer were due to pre-existing conditions, but the mechanism by which sleeping pills increase morbidity and mortality are unclear. Possibly, the association may occur due to the use of sleeping pills in combination with alcohol or other drugs, increased levels of depression and suicide associated with insomnia, increased risks of accidents and falls, increased sleep apnea, and night eating syndromes.

Owing to the nature of the study, researchers were unable to verify if the sleeping pills prescribed were actually consumed. They were also unable to account for the possibility that people without prescriptions for sleeping pills took over-the-counter sleep aids or sleeping pills prescribed to other individuals.

Insomnia is a difficult clinical entity; it is complex to diagnose and complex to treat. Most sleep complaints involve difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and not feeling well-rested upon awakening — all of which lead to professional and social consequences, preventing individuals from performing activities of daily living and work-related tasks. Insomnia may be acute or chronic in nature and is often attributable to anxiety or stress, inadequate sleep hygiene, the use of other medications or substances, or a medical condition.

Medications should not be the first line of defense against sleep-related ills, and a complete evaluation should include an investigation of the precipitating and perpetuating factors related to insomnia. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is often an effective tool to teach sleep hygiene, relaxation techniques, and other cognitive restructuring techniques to aid in sleep. Pharmacological management of insomnia poses risks of drug interactions, memory disorders, daytime drowsiness, falls and accidents, and dependence and withdrawal symptoms.

No sleep aids are intended for long-term daily use, and the risks associated with their use are downplayed by the soft music and floating butterflies in the consumer advertising for newer, presumed-to-be-safer, sleeping pills. As a let-the-sleeper-beware caution, the study raises important concerns about the costs of a good night’s sleep and the use of even infrequent doses of sleeping pills.

6 Ways to Enhance Your Problem Solving Skills

Have you ever thought of yourself as a problem solver? I’m guessing not. But in reality we are constantly solving problems. And the better we are at it, the easier our lives are.

Problems arise in many shapes and forms. They can be mundane, everyday problems:

What to have for dinner tonight?
Which route to take to work?
or they can be larger more complex problems;
How to fix a project that’s running behind schedule?
How to change from an uninspiring job to a career you’re really passionate about?
Every day you’ll be faced with at least one problem to solve. But it gets easier when you realise that problems are simply choices. There’s nothing ‘scary’ about them other than having to make a decision.

No matter what job you’re in, where you live, who you’re partner is, how many friends you have; you will be judged on your ability to solve problems. Because problems equal hassles for everyone concerned. And people don’t like hassle. So the more problems you can solve, the less hassle all-round, the happier people are with you. Everyone wins.

So what can you do to enhance your problem solving skills?

1. Focus on the solution – not the problem

Neuroscientists have proven that your brain cannot find solutions if you focus on the problem. This is because when you focus on the problem you’re effectively feeding ‘negativity’ which in turn activates negative emotions in the brain. These emotions block potential solutions. I’m not saying you should ‘ignore the problem’ – instead try and remain calm. It helps to first acknowledge the problem and then move your focus to a solution-oriented mindset where you keep fixed on what the ‘answer’ could be instead of lingering on ‘what went wrong’ and ‘who’s fault it is’.

2. Have an open mind

Try and entertain ‘ALL POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS’ – even if they seem ridiculous at first. It’s important you keep an open mind to boost creative thinking, which can trigger potential solutions. Coming from 10 years in the corporate advertising industry it is drummed into you that ‘No idea is a bad idea’ and this aids creative thinking in brainstorms and other problem-solving techniques. Whatever you do – do not ridicule yourself for coming up with ‘stupid solutions’ as it’s often the crazy ideas that trigger other more viable solutions.

3. View problems neutrally

Try not to view problems as ‘scary’ things! If you think about it what is a problem? It’s really just feedback on your current situation. All a problem is telling you is that something is not currently working and that you need to find a new way around it. So try and approach problems neutrally – without any judgment. If you get caught up in the label ‘problem’ this may trigger a bought of negative thoughts and block any potential solutions from popping up!

4. Think laterally

Change the ‘direction’ of your thoughts by thinking laterally. Pay attention to the saying, ‘You cannot dig a hole in a different place by digging it deeper”. Try to change your approach and look at things in a new way. You can try flipping your objective around and looking for a solution that is the polar opposite! Even if it feels silly, a fresh & unique approach usually stimulates a fresh solution.

5. Use language that creates possibility

Lead your thinking with phrases like ‘what if…’ and ‘imagine if…’ These terms open up our brains to think creatively and encourage solutions. Avoid closed, negative language such as ‘I don’t think…’ or ‘This is not right but…’.

6. Simplify things

As human beings we have a tendency to make things more complicated than they need to be! Try simplifying your problem by generalizing it. Remove all the detail and go back to the basics. Try looking for a really easy, obvious solution – you might be surprised at the results! And we all know that it’s often the simple things that are the most productive.

10 Brainteasers to Test Your Mental Sharpness

To test your mental acuity, answer the following questions (no peeking at the answers!):

1. Johnny’s mother had three children. The first child was named April. The second child was named May. What was the third child’s name?

2. A clerk at a butcher shop stands five feet ten inches tall and wears size 13 sneakers. What does he weigh?

3. Before Mt. Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in the world?

4. How much dirt is there in a hole that measures two feet by three feet by four feet?

5. What word in the English language is always spelled incorrectly?

6. Billie was born on December 28th, yet her birthday always falls in the summer. How is this possible?

7. In British Columbia you cannot take a picture of a man with a wooden leg. Why not?

8. If you were running a race and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in now?

9. Which is correct to say, “The yolk of the egg is white” or “The yolk of the egg are white?”

10. A farmer has five haystacks in one field and four haystacks in another. How many haystacks would he have if he combined them all in one field?

Answers

1. Johnny.
2. Meat.
3. Mt. Everest. It just wasn’t discovered yet.
4. There is no dirt in a hole.
5. Incorrectly (except when it is spelled incorrecktly).
6. Billie lives in the southern hemisphere.
7. You can’t take a picture with a wooden leg. You need a camera (or iPad or cell phone) to take a picture.
8. You would be in 2nd place. You passed the person in second place, not first.
9. Neither. Egg yolks are yellow.
10. One. If he combines all his haystacks, they all become one big stack.

Okay, some of these are a bit corny. But they all illustrate several brain idiosyncrasies that affect how we make decisions in the world.

Thanks to the way our brain works, we have a very strong tendency to see what we want to see and what we expect to see. This has huge implications when studying our customers, markets, competitors, and other data that influences key business decisions.

When we only see what we want or expect to see, we miss competitive threats because our brain tells us a threat couldn’t possibly come from that direction. We miss opportunities because we only see what has worked in the past rather than what could be. And we miss major market shifts and changes in customer needs that seem obvious in hindsight but are easily overlooked when focusing on what we already know.

Our brain doesn’t like information gaps, so we tend to jump at the first answer/solution that looks good rather than take the time to examine all the data. This is especially true in a world where we receive more information every day than we have time to assimilate. Finally, our brains love to see patterns and make connections. This trait serves us well in many ways as we move through the world. But the brain doesn’t always get it right.

For example, how did you answer question #1 (be honest)? For most people, the first word that pops into their head is “June,” because the brain quickly spots the April/May/June pattern. Upon re-reading the question and analyzing the data, the answer “Johnny” becomes obvious.

And what about the man with the wooden leg? Your answer depends on how you interpret “with.” Does it refer to the man with the wooden leg or to the camera? A bit of a trick question, but it clearly illustrates how the language we use shapes the way we look at the world.

Perhaps the best example of how we miss things is the egg yolk question. Everybody knows egg yolks are yellow. But the question’s phrasing puts our attention on selecting the correct verb, so we overlook an obvious piece of data and an even more obvious answer.

We can’t change how the brain works – at least not yet. Give science another 50 years and who knows what our brains will be doing! For now, we can become more aware of how our brain works, then pause from time to time to consider what we’re missing. This includes the data we’re unconsciously screening out as well as different sources of data to counterbalance what we expect to see.

Get in the habit of teasing your brain. You’ll be amazed at what you end up seeing that you didn’t see before.

Retweet this blog to find out how clever your friends and business associates are.

Forbes

Thinking Fast Equals Risky Business

Connections between the speed of thought and feelings of euphoria have been reported in cases of clinical mania. New research now links racing thoughts with risk-taking among the general population.

The speed of modern life has increased dramatically in recent decades, and faster is almost always better. But, is that true when it comes to your own thoughts? In two experiments, reported in Psychological Science, scientists manipulated participants’ thought speeds and assessed their appetites for risk. In the first experiment, three dozen students read aloud at different speeds — twice their normal speed or half their normal speed. Then, each student played a computer-simulated game that required them to blow air into a balloon without popping it. Students were rewarded with five cents each time he or she pumped air into the balloon, but lost money each time the balloon popped. The students who had read quickly were more willing to take risks with the balloon (and the money), attempting and achieving more pumps, but also popping more balloons than the students who had read slowly.

In a second experiment, 52 students watched fast-, medium-, or slow-paced movie clips that contained similar content. The students who watched the fast-paced clips reported a greater intention to engage in real-world risky behaviors, including unprotected sex and illegal drug use. Those students were also more likely to minimize the danger associated with each risky behavior.

Previous studies have shown a link between life in the fast-thinking lane and mood. Experimentally accelerated thought is achieved through instructions to brainstorm freely, exposure to multiple ideas, encouragement to plagiarize others’ ideas, performance of easy cognitive tasks, narration of a silent video in fast-forward, and controlled reading speed. Regardless of the types of thoughts that were induced (money-making schemes, word choice, or feelings of depression or elation), individuals demonstrated an increased positive affect after thinking quickly. Increased speed of thought also amplified feelings of power, creativity, and energy, and inflated self-esteem.

Researchers attribute these findings to the subjective experience of thought speed and the joy-enhancing effects of fast thinking. Likewise, thinking slowly is, apparently, a killjoy.

The need for speed is undeniable today’s fast and furious world. But, at what cost? Are we riskier because we are always thinking faster? Or are we happier? Will letting the brain stop and smell the roses decrease our desire to take risks, or will we just become depressed? Human thought is the product of an integrated, sophisticated network that involves neurons, sensory input, and the brain. Speed is fundamental to the thought process, but it is not the only determinant of effectiveness. Efficiency, timing, and appropriateness must be balanced with speed to keep us safe and running smoothly in whatever lane of life’s highway we choose.

References

Chandler JJ, & Pronin E (2012). Fast thought speed induces risk taking. Psychological science, 23 (4), 370-4 PMID: 22395129

Pronin E, Jacobs E, & Wegner DM (2008). Psychological effects of thought acceleration. Emotion (Washington, D.C.), 8 (5), 597-612 PMID: 18837610

Pronin E, & Wegner DM (2006). Manic thinking: independent effects of thought speed and thought content on mood. Psychological science, 17 (9), 807-13 PMID: 16984299

Contribution from BrainBlogger

7 Ways to Enhance Focus, Creativity, Productivity and Performance

One, it does not require rigid focusing of the mind on one thing for an extended period of time, a practice that most people find extremely difficult.

Two, it appears the benefits can be experienced extremely quickly, in as little as 5-days, and

Three, the practice can be done fairly quickly, allowing almost anyone to fit it into their day.

Wanna jump right in today?

Here’s a simple technique and to get you started with a very basic, accessible 10-minute daily seated practice.

Find a quiet place

Sit in a comfortable upright position with your hands on your knees

Close your eyes and take 10 breaths, letting your exhale get longer and longe with each one

Starting at a very gentle pace, begin to count backwards from 100 by threes, saying each number softly or just sub-lingualizing them with every inhale and exhale. So, for example, inhale and think and say 100, exhale, think and say 97, inhale, think and say 94 and so on. If you get a number wrong, just let it go, say the right one and move one.
When this becomes easy or a few days or week in, pick up the pace a little bit until it becomes easy again. Then, bump the top number by 25 and keep practicing and bumping pace until it gets easy again. Keep at this until the whole practice takes about 20-minutes and give it a few weeks.
Let go of any expectations and see what unfolds...we're all meant to suck at it in the beginning!
There are so many ways to explore AT and access the states that it creates. And, it is important to note that, while the focus of this article is on the "professional" impact of these practice, there is also a very clear and profound impact that reaches deeply into all aspects of your life. That discussion is for a future article.

Does Yawning Cools the Brain??

The medical literature is rife with explanations for yawning, but one has gained substantial ground in recent years: This mysterious habit may help regulate brain temperature.

The brain operates best within a narrow range of temperatures, and like a car engine, it sometimes needs a way to cool down. To lower the brain’s thermostat, researchers say, the body takes in cooler air from its surroundings — prompting deep inhalation.

Yawning is contagious. Simply watching someone do it is enough to induce the behavior. But when scientists had people watch yawning videos in a 2007 study, they found that applying cold packs to the subjects’ heads practically eliminated contagious yawning. Nasal breathing, which also promotes brain cooling, had a similar effect.

In a study of 160 people published last month in the journal Frontiers in Evolutionary Neuroscience, yawning was found to vary by season. People were shown to be more likely to yawn in winter than summer, perhaps because an overheated brain gets little relief from taking in air that is warmer than body temperature.

The researchers, who controlled for factors like humidity and the amount of sleep subjects got the night before, also found that the more time a person spent outside in warm temperatures, the less likely they were to yawn. The findings may explain why people yawn when tired: Sleep deprivation raises brain temperature. As for why yawning is contagious, it may have evolved as a way to signal to others in a group to stay alert and ready in case of outside attacks, scientists say.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Growing evidence suggests yawning may be a way for the brain to cool off, though it is still just a theory.
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR