Scientists identify parts of brain associated with optimism

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For the human brain, good news is more relevant than bad news, so people tend to remember the good news more, while mitigating the most pessimistic ones. This is why, for example, many naturally overestimate the odds of winning the lottery or living up to 100 years old, hardly occupying their thoughts with the possibility of something bad happening, such as the risk of cancer or divorce. of the loved one.

Now scientists at London's oldest college, University College London, have identified the parts of the brain that are responsible for this behavior and have found that a magnetic field applied in this region - known as the left lower frontal gyrus (GFI) - can make people "less optimistic, " causing them to consider both good and bad news.

Turning off brain parts of volunteers

To reach this conclusion, the research team worked with 30 volunteers who underwent repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, a technique used to temporarily shut down parts of the brain. With this, the team can observe the behavior of people who had not only left GFI disabled, but also right GFI and other parts of the brain that were not correlated with the subject matter investigated.

The volunteers went through a survey in which they should estimate the chances of facing a bad situation in the future, such as being robbed or suffering from an incurable disease. Then the scientists gave more information about these situations and asked the volunteers to reconsider these possibilities.

New results, new treatments

Early research on this subject said that by interrupting the left GFI, one would become more pessimistic and not able to learn from the good news they would receive. Also, disrupting the right GFI could make someone much more optimistic. But researcher Tali Sharot has found something different.

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According to The Scientist, when the left area is turned off, people are completely optimistic. They keep paying attention to the good news, but they deal with the bad news better, taking them into consideration and making them more relevant to their cognitive functions.

Volunteers who had the right GFI or any other part of the brain turned off kept the previous behavior, giving more importance to the good possibilities. This research may lead to better treatments, especially in cases of clinical depression. For example, it would be possible to devise more effective methods for increasing optimism in this type of patient.

Source: The Scientist, PNAS