by esperanza Magazine

Trailblazing research suggests that silent third person self-talk during stressful times may help you control emotional reactions.

 

Newswise — EAST LANSING, Mich. – The simple act of silently talking to yourself in the third person during stressful times may help you control emotions without any additional mental effort than what you would use for first-person self-talk – the way people normally talk to themselves.

A first-of-its-kind study led by psychology researchers at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan indicates that such third-person self-talk may constitute a relatively effortless form of self-control. The findings are published online in Scientific Reports, a Nature journal.

Say a man named John is upset about recently being dumped. By simply reflecting on his feelings in the third person (“Why is John upset?”), John is less emotionally reactive than when he addresses himself in the first person (“Why am I upset?”).

“Essentially, we think referring to yourself in the third person leads people to think about themselves more similar to how they think about others, and you can see evidence for this in the brain,” said Jason Moser, MSU associate professor of psychology. “That helps people gain a tiny bit of psychological distance from their experiences, which can often be useful for regulating emotions.”

The study, partially funded by the National Institutes of Health and the John Temple Foundation, involved two experiments that both significantly reinforced this main conclusion.

The simple act of silently talking to yourself in the third person during stressful times may help you control emotions without any additional mental effort than what you would use for first-person self-talk

In one experiment, at Moser’s Clinical Psychophysiology Lab, participants viewed neutral and disturbing images and reacted to the images in both the first and third person while their brain activity was monitored by an electroencephalograph. When reacting to the disturbing photos (such as a man holding a gun to their heads), participants’ emotional brain activity decreased very quickly (within 1 second) when they referred to themselves in the third person.

The MSU researchers also measured participants’ effort-related brain activity and found that using the third person was no more effortful than using first person self-talk. This bodes well for using third-person self-talk as an on-the-spot strategy for regulating one’s emotions, Moser said, as many other forms of emotion regulation require considerable thought and effort.

In the other experiment, led by U-M psychology professor Ethan Kross, who directs the Emotion and Self-Control Lab, participants reflected on painful experiences from their past using first and third person language while their brain activity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging, or FMRI. Similar to the MSU study, participants’ displayed less activity in a brain region that is commonly implicated in reflecting on painful emotional experiences when using third person self-talk, suggesting better emotional regulation. Further, third person self-talk required no more effort-related brain activity than using first person.

“What’s really exciting here,” Kross said, “is that the brain data from these two complimentary experiments suggest that third-person self-talk may constitute a relatively effortless form of emotion regulation.

“If this ends up being true – we won’t know until more research is done – there are lots of important implications these findings have for our basic understanding of how self-control works, and for how to help people control their emotions in daily life.”

Moser and Kross said their teams are continuing to collaborate to explore how third-person self-talk compares to other emotion-regulation strategies.

 

Source: Michigan State University

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by esperanza Magazine

Results indicate that gene can either amplify or reduce stress, depending on its level of activity.

 

Newswise — MARYLAND, 5-Jul-2017— Globally, depression affects more than 300 million people annually. Nearly 800,000 die from suicide every year – it is the second-leading cause of death among people between the ages of 15 to 29. Beyond that, depression destroys quality for life for tens of millions of patients and their families. Although environmental factors play a role in many cases of depression, genetics are also crucially important.

Now, a new study by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) has pinpointed how one particular gene plays a central role – either protecting from stress or triggering a downward spiral, depending on its level of activity.

The study, published today in the Journal of Neuroscience, is the first to illuminate in detail how this particular gene, which is known as Slc6a15, works in a kind of neuron that plays a key role in depression. The study found the link in both animals and humans.

“This study really shines a light on how levels of this gene in these neurons affects mood,” said the senior author of the study, Mary Kay Lobo, an assistant professor in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology. “It suggests that people with altered levels of this gene in certain brain regions may have a much higher risk for depression and other emotional disorders related to stress.”

“This study really shines a light on how levels of this gene in these neurons affects mood,”

In 2006, Dr. Lobo and her colleagues found that the Slc6a15 gene was more common among specific neurons in the brain. They recently demonstrated that these neurons were important in depression. Since this gene was recently implicated in depression by other researchers, her lab decided to investigate its role in these specific neurons. In this latest study, she and her team focused on a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens. This region plays a central role in the brain’s “reward circuit.” When you eat a delicious meal, have sex, drink alcohol, or have any other kind of enjoyable experience, neurons in the nucleus accumbens are activated, letting you know that the experience is pushing the proper buttons. In depression, any kind of enjoyment becomes difficult or impossible; this symptom is known as anhedonia, which in Latin means the inability to experience pleasure.

The researchers focused on a subset of neurons in the nucleus accumbens called D2 neurons. These neurons respond to the neurotransmitter dopamine, which plays a central role in the reward circuit.

They studied mice susceptible to depression; when subjected to social stress – exposure to larger, more aggressive mice – they tend to withdraw and exhibit behavior that indicates depression, such as social withdrawal and lack of interest in food that they normally enjoy. Dr. Lobo found that when these animals were subjected to chronic social stress, levels of the Slc6a15 gene in the D2 neurons of the nucleus accumbens was markedly reduced.

The researchers also studied mice in which the gene had been reduced in D2 neurons. When those mice were subjected to stress, they also exhibited signs of depression. Conversely, when the researchers enhanced Slc6a15 levels in D2 neurons, the mice showed a resilient response to stress.

Next, Dr. Lobo looked at the brains of humans who had a history of major depression and who had committed suicide. In the nucleus accumbens of these brains, the gene was reduced. This indicates that the link between gene and behavior extends from mice to humans.

It is not clear exactly how Slc6a15 works in the brain. Dr. Lobo says it may work by altering neurotransmitter levels in the brain, a theory that has some evidence from other studies. She says her research could eventually lead to targeted therapies focused on Slc6a15 as a new way to treat depression.

 

Source: University of Maryland School Of Medicine

via Esperanza – Hope To Cope
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July 27, 2017 at 05:45AM
If you live with anxiety, chances are pretty good that you’ve heard a well-meaning family member or friend tell you, “Just get over it.” If it were that easy, no one would have anxiety because we’d all get over it and move on. Unfortunately, the idea of just getting over it doesn’t help anxiety, and … Continue reading "Why Hearing Just Get Over It Doesn’t Help Anxiety"

Read the rest of this article at the link provided...
by Tanya J. Peterson, MS, NCC
via Anxiety-Schmanxiety – HealthyPlace

by Carol L. Rickard

There is a wonderful LifeTOOL, that when many people are presented with
it, they tend to fight back against it.

I’m talking about CRYING…

When I think back, over the past 25 years of working with & helping others,
the number of times I’ve had people say ‘It’s not okay for them to cry‘
is staggering.

Somewhere along the way, this is the message they got growing up!

Actually, now that I’m thinking about it – there’s another statement I’ve
heard countless times as well:

“Crying is a sign of weakness.”

To me, this is even more HARMFUL.

My immediate response when I hear someone say this is:

“No, crying is not a sign of weakness – it is actually a sign of
STRENGTH!”

This is particularly true when it comes to dealing with loss.

The tears are the way we acknowledge and let our feelings out.

It not only takes great strength to let those emotions out – it takes great
COURAGE as well.

The COURAGE is for allowing ourselves to be vulnerable.

The truth is, it also takes STRENGTH to not allow ourselves to hide from
the feelings we are having.

Now, I realize there is a time and place where crying isn’t necessarily
appropriate and we may want to not let the tears flow…

In those instances, we aren’t stopping the tears from flowing, but rather
delaying them until it is a more appropriate time.

There is another LifeTOOL to use in those situations I will share with you
next week! So come back to find out…

For now, I want you to remember how important it is when dealing with
loss to:

Let the tears flow…

~ To Living Well TODAY! ~

 

Side note: This post came to me as I find myself now practicing what I just wrote about. My dog passed away this past week & for me I have found one of the most important things I am doing for my health & wellness is letting those tears flow. You can be sure that I am one of those persons who “Lives What I Teach” which is why I know these LifeTOOLS work!

 

 

via Esperanza – Hope To Cope
(This and our other articles are provided by some of our curated resources. We encourage readers to support them and continue to look to these sources in times of need and opportunity.)

Neuroscience News, of Neuroscience News Updates just published this:
A new study in Scientific Reports finds evidence from MRI scans suggests Neanderthal derived genetic variations affect how the brains of modern humans work. Findings may shed light on specific deficits seen in ASD and schizophrenia, researchers believe.

July 26, 2017 at 04:09PM

Neuroscience News, of Neuroscience News Updates just published this:
CRISPR gene editing has allowed researchers to prevent angiogenesis of the retina occurring in mice. Researchers say the new technology could help prevent vision loss in those with retinal diseases.

July 26, 2017 at 04:05PM