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APRIL 2021
Volume 14 • Issue 01
Charité
t t i n g b e t t e r !
cn s Neur o S c i e n c e
I t ’s g e
Why and How
Does Practice
Make You Better?
Mastering movement and
how caching and circuits
support motor learning
p. 20
The Other Crisis
of Science
Why knowledge
should be free and
how academic
publishing hinders that
p. 32
How Mindfulness
Meditation Can Help
Build Resilience
p. 18
In a complex world and in challenging times, eventually,
w w w.medical-neurosciences.de
one is tempted to think things are getting better after all. At
least we do, which is why we chose this mantra as the topic for our
first issue of the CNS Newsletter in 2021! We are by now well into the new
year with one very hard-and-demanding year is behind us. Finally, spring has sprung
and nature is recharging. The weather becomes more pleasant each passing day. Days are
considerably longer again. Far from ignoring the fact of the ongoing pandemic, novel vaccines
continue to be approved and vaccination programs are scaling up consistently, causing a flick-
Edi t orial ering of hope. Some may say that change and improvement is gradual and cannot be perceived
except by comparison to previous states. So now we can look back at the time behind us and
reflect on what got us through (p 18 and p 19) and how such times can shape our path forward
(p 17). Everything about Corona has been odd. It arrived gradually until it came all at once, just
like Mike Campbell, from Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises, famously described how he
became bankrupt: “Gradually and then suddenly”. Big changes sometimes come at a creeping
pace until everything is different. And we now can hope for those changes to come again as we
examine the practices that make us human, like gratitude or positivity (p 10 and p 11), or actually
a little less human (p 7). We can allow ourselves to think that we are beating the odds (p 14),
without feeling that we are fooling ourselves and escaping to ‘our special place’ (p 12). Even if
still there is a long way to go, we’ve got to admit it is getting better!
So much for change, a big part of who we are and what we can accomplish is based on staying
the same, as counting on our skills and habits (p 18). Particularly now, when they may be some-
times anchors that keep us on track. With that in mind, we looked into what’s behind sleep and
growth (p 16, p 20 and p 21), our relationship with technology (p 7), and when it might be time
to seek out a little more help (p 37 and p 40). Even though prudence told many of us to skip new
year’s resolutions, it does not follow we are not optimistic. We certainly are! But what does it
actually mean (p 4)? Maybe by slowing down, some of us may have gained perspective on what
is important. Is it the case that more is truly better (p 6)? Sometimes it is, for example, when we
stay true to the phrase “the more, the merrier” and welcome new authors and celebrate those that
stood by the CNS Newsletter throughout the year (p 44). And, on a warm note, we would like to
introduce you to Leandre Ravatt, who is joining us as a new generation of editor-in-chief! We’ve
got to admit it’s getting better. A little better all the time.
Enjoy!
Like LEANDRE RAVATT
what you see? LORENA SGANZERLA
Interested in contributing? We are
BETTINA SCHMERL
Co-Editors in Chief
always looking for new authors and submission on
anything related to the topic of neuroscience and beyond.
Contest
Send us an article, some beautiful shots from your micro-
scope, poems, short stories, critiques, reviews, anything! The
best contribution will be rewarded with the book “30-Second
Brain”..
Come on and write like
there’s no tomorrow!
Send your contribution to
cns-newsletter@charite.de
to win.
Thie issue’s winner is Felici-
tas Brüntgens, who contrib-
uted a great article on the
necessity of a good night’s
sleep and some good advice
on how to nap better (p.21).
Congratulations, and thanks to everybody for their
contributions!
CON T EN T S
FOCUS CAREER
What Is Optimism Ph.D. Takes Notes from The Other Crisis of
Actually? ... 4 Meditation ... 19 Science
Why knowledge should be free
Is “More” Truly Better? & how academic publishing
A critical view on consumption hinders that ... 32
and happiness ... 6
Column: Dr. Brown
Can’t Live With It, Personal Growth and
Can’t Live Without It Development ... 37
How to renegotiate your
relationship to digital
technology. ... 7
The Science of Why and How Does CAMPUS
Happiness Practice Make You
An introduction to positive Better?
psychology ... 10 Mastering movement and how International Day of
caching and circuits support Women and Girls in
The Power of motor learning ... 20 Science ... 38
Gratitude ... 11
Sleep to Learn and
Toxic positivity: can you Learn to Sleep
be just too happy? The importance of (enough)
Too much of anything is bad, sleep and how to improve yours
including positive vibes. ... 12 ... 21
Personal Development
Burnout
The art of sustainable
goal-setting ... 24
Mental Health
Resources & Career
Support in Berlin ... 40
Women‘s Careers
Does persistence beat Off-Theme and Networks ... 42
the odds? ... 14
Authors‘ Page ... 44
Fixed vs. Growth: Cinematic Catharsis
How your mindset can help A look at the feminist revenge News In Brief ...46
you move forward ... 16 film genre in light of the release
of Promising Young Woman WhazzUp? ...47
Strength through (2021) ... 26
hardship ... 17
Brain Palace: Being
How Mindfulness Together ... 28
Meditation Can Help
Build Resilience ... 18
April 2021 C NS n ewsletter 3
F O C US
What Is Optimism Actually?
“Optimism” comes from the Latin optimus that means “the Being optimistic, a life advantage
best”. It is a state of mind leading us to perceive the positive Somehow, it seems that being optimistic is an advantage.
in our present world and nourish hope for the future. Its op- Could this trait make you live longer and happier? At least the
posite – the attitude to see the glass half empty – is the „pes- amount of optimism in a person seems like a good predictor
simism“ (from pessimus, superlative of malus: “the bad”). for life expectancy. In a recent study on two North American
long-running observational cohorts; the Nurses’ Health Study
The optimism in philosophy [5] for the female part (n= 69.744) and the Veterans Affairs
Interestingly, optimism did not have many followers in philo- Normative Aging Study [6] for the male part (n=1.429), rese-
sophy. One of the best-known optimists, the German scientist archers showed that optimism is associated with up to 11% in
and philosopher Leibniz (1646-1716), described our world as male and 15% in female longer life expectancy - even accoun-
the best of all we could possibly have where everything is in ting for potential confounders as socioeconomic background
harmony [1]. One of the problems of this statement pointed or health condition [7]. But can we optimize our optimism?
out by the pessimists, was that it did not leave much room Can we train it? Positive psychologists would answer yes; you
for improvement, as everything is already at its optimum. The can train to increase your positive thoughts about yourself and
optimists were seen by the pessimists as naïve and so faith- your future (a lot more about it in the article „The science of
ful that they overlooked the evident truth: there is bad in our happiness“ on page GB10). All of that, of course, up to a certain
world (even if Leibniz never refuted the existence of evil). In extent, as part of our optimism may be inherited [8]. How filled
his satire “Candide ou l’Optimisme”, Voltaire (French philoso- our gauge of optimism is also likely to fluctuate depending on
pher, 1694-1778) mocks Leibniz with his blissful Pangloss say- what we experience at different stages of our lives.
ing “Tout est au mieux dans le meilleur des mondes” - “All is
best in the best of all worlds” [2]. In the common language, the The center of optimism in the brain
definition one gives to optimism is definitely not as fatalist as According to functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Leibniz’s view. Humanity in its whole is probably an example studies, the more optimistic you are, the stronger your ante-
of optimism, aiming at progress and improvement, hoping for rior cingulate cortex is activated. The anterior cingulate cor-
a brighter future. tex in humans is the frontal half of the cingulate cortex, which
borders the anterior part of the thick white matter tract cal-
Optimism is measurable led the corpus callosum [9]. It is involved in a panel of emo-
It can be difficult to objectively rate positive thoughts and fee-
lings such as joy or happiness, but optimism can be measured
in individuals using psychological tests. These tests are diffe-
rent depending on what one actually wants to measure. Indeed,
on one hand, there is dispositional optimism – having positive
expectations for the future; on the other hand, optimism in
terms of explanatory or attributional style – the way we exp-
lain to ourselves situations we have experienced. The Life
Orientation Test (LOT) for example, assesses both,
dispositional optimism and pessimism, giving
two separate scores. There is an updated ver-
sion of the LOT that is now utilized: the Life
Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R). It was
used in an extensive study called “the Health
and Retirement” that directly correlated the
level of dispositional optimism with the
risk of developing a stroke. In their
studied population of 6044 individu-
als over 50 years old, they found that
the higher the rate for optimism in the
LOT-R, the lower the risk for stroke [3].
Optimism also has an impact on the life of
younger individuals. In a study of adolescents using
a test for assessing optimistic thinking styles (designed for
the specific research), it was shown that being optimistic
had protective effects against depression [4].
Credit: Coline Lemale
4 CNS newsletter April 2021
F O CU S
tion-related functions and in decision-making. You can
imagine the anterior cingulate cortex as a comforta-
ble room where inputs from various areas of the
brain are nicely relaxing and get that tinge of
optimism that makes them positive thoughts.
On the contrary, when we imagine ne-
gative scenarios, the anterior cingulate
cortex together with the amygdala will
see a rundown of their activity below
average [9]. The orbitofrontal cortex
is involved in decision-making and is
connected to the anterior cingulate
cortex. This prefrontal cortex region
sitting just behind the eyebrows is
also thought to be a center for op-
timism involved in fighting anxiety
and protecting individuals against
negative thoughts. It has been shown
that the orbitofrontal cortex is over-
activated during the resting-state of
the brain in pessimistic-related mental
disorders such as anxiety or depression.
It is likely to be more activated to com-
pensate for poor communication with other
areas of the brain. Indeed, in optimistic indi-
viduals, the orbitofrontal cortex is discussing a
lot with the supplementary motor cortex during
the resting-state of the brain [10].
Is optimism purely human?
Since humans belong to the animal realm, there‘s no reason
that our animal cousins shouldn‘t also experience optimism.
However, as animals do not fill questionnaires, studying them In conclusion? Do not shake the bees, work on increasing posi-
is more challenging. Their effort made to achieve goals is often tive thoughts about yourself by getting tickles and you will live
considered a measure of their optimism. More precisely, the a long and happy life!
behavioral studies observing animals such as rats, macaques or
honeybees try to associate their decision-making in a trained COLINE LEMALE
task to their state of mind at that moment (for example having MEDNEURO
been previously exposed to stress or not). And as it is some- PH.D. STUDENT, AG DREIER
what more feasible to induce negative feelings in an animal,
there are more studies evaluating pessimism. For example, one
can stress a bee by shaking it (which is a way used by honey [1] Leibniz, Essais de Théodicée, 1710
badgers to steal honey). Then this agitated bee will tend to clas- [2] Voltaire, Candide ou l’Optimisme, 1759
sify learned stimuli as predicting a punishment: the bee has [3] Kim et al, Stroke, 2011
thus a pessimistic cognitive bias [11]. On the other hand, it [4] Patton et al, Pediatrics, 2011
is now known that we can induce a positive emotion similar [5] The Nurses’ Health Study: https://bit.ly/3lBPAWE
to human joy in rats by tickling them. Accordingly, Rygula et [6] The Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study: https://bit.ly/3f22R9I
al. 2012 gave their work the title that these “laughing rats are [7] Lee et al, PNAS, 2019
optimistic”. The laughing rats are indeed more likely to expect [8] Schulman et al, Behav Res Ther, 1993
a reward after ambiguous stimuli, as opposed to the behavior of [9] Sharot et al, Nature, 2007
the agitated honeybees [12]. [10] Wang et al, Hum Brain Mapp, 2018
[11] Bateson et al, Curr Biol, 2011
[12] Rygula et al, PLoS One, 2012
April 2021 CNS newsletter 5
F O C US
Is „More“ Truly Better?
A critical view on consumption and happiness
How does buying a new phone, laptop
or tablet make you feel? What about
new clothes or video games? We have
all experienced some kind of happiness
when purchasing and consuming goods,
but is it the case that the more we buy,
the happier we become? In this article,
I will discuss the relationship between
consumption and happiness and try to
see if (spending) money can buy happi-
ness or not.
What is happiness?
Philosophers have been asking themselves
for centuries what happiness is and how
we can live a happy life. In their pursuit,
they have come up with plenty of theo- Figure 1: Scatter plot of happy life years vs. GDP per capita, by country. Abdallah et al.
ries such as hedonism (to maximize plea- 2009 [1].
sure and minimize pain) or eudemonism
(to live a life of virtue) as possible paths ferred to as the Easterlin paradox [3]: In people with a low or high environmental
to happiness. In modern psychology and the short run, or when a specific point in footprint, and hence low or high material
social science research, the term “happi- time is investigated (cross-section data), consumption respectively, tend to report
ness” is usually used to refer to people’s higher-income is always related to hig- similar life satisfaction, around 7 out of 10
self-reported well-being, highlighting its her happiness levels across individuals [2,5]. This suggests no correlation between
subjective character. Nevertheless, diffe- and nations. But when we look at their happiness and levels of consumption.
rent studies are using different ways to relationship over time (time-series data),
measure happiness. this relationship disappears [4], an effect Western culture and levels of
claimed to be due to social comparison consumption
How does happiness relate to effect. While the Easterlin Paradox has After the industrial revolution, the mass
consumption – The stats been challenged in other studies, it has in- production of goods resulted in increased
The New Economics Foundation (NEF) fluenced research on wellbeing and poses consumption. This, together with more
looked into the relationship between numerous questions for policymaking. If advertising and false needs created by
consumption and happiness indirectly, social welfare does
using income as a measure (Fig. 1 [1,2]). not directly increa-
Here, we see that between US$ 5,000 and se with economic
US$ 30,000 there is a trend for more hap- growth, then ins-
py life years (life satisfaction x life ex- tead of aiming for
pectancy) with a higher GDP per capita. higher GDP, “gross
However, the happy life years for GDP national happiness”
below US$ 5,000 are extremely diverse, should become the
ranging roughly between 10 and 50 ye- new target.
ars. Additionally, when the GDP goes
beyond US$ 30,000, further increases no Since income is not
longer seem to affect the number of hap- necessarily propor-
py life-years. This suggests that, although tional to consump-
there is a correlation between income tion, environmental
and happiness, once it reaches enough to footprint was ins-
provide a comfortable life, income does tead used in another
not have such a big impact on happiness. study (Fig. 2). They
Therefore, more is not necessarily better. performed an on-
line survey within
A similar effect (or lack thereof) of inco- Europe, in which Figure 2: Life satisfaction compared to levels of material
me growth on happiness is generally re- they found that consumption in Europe. Thompson et al., 2007 [7].
6 CNS newsletter April 2021
F O CU S
Can‘t Live with It, Can‘t Live Without It
How to renegotiate your relationship to digital technology
the media, slowly led to a consump- A relationship in crisis makes a positive case for what can be
tion-oriented society [6]. Nowadays, Are you going through a hard time at the done to renegotiate our tempestuous re-
it has been argued that individual moment? Stuck together, at home, no- lationship with tech. Unless you really
success is measured using a material thing to do but to watch the frustrations commit to living like a mountain her-
perspective, where the more you own, rise and fissures widen and deepen? Are mit, the effects of online space is going
the more successful you are regar- things just not what they used to be? Do to seep into daily life. The world is an
ded to be [6]. Therefore, people end you miss the days of shiny novelty, days irrevocably different place to how it was
up consuming much more than what full of hope and optimism and innocent 30 to 40 years ago. This may be a trivial
they need, never being able to achie- expectation? Maybe it’s time for an in- fact, but what it indicates is that there
ve their unattainable and always gro- tervention. is a need for a new subjective positio-
wing goals. ning towards technology, a perspective
The above could just as easily be applied which is properly adapted for the digital
When we have enough to personal relationships with digital sphere.
The data indicate that having more technologies as they could to a bitter and
money and buying more products troubled romantic relationship. Be it de- Why the sad face? Diagnosing the
does not always lead to an increased vices such as mobile phones, social me- problem...
level of happiness. While it can give dia platforms or habits which are reliant Helplessness and dissatisfaction with the
a momentary satisfaction, accumula- on the Big Tech industry (such as your current order can be rooted in this sense
ting wealth and possessions does not Amazon order addiction), we are digital- of lost agency. Philosopher Byung Chul
seem like the best path to happiness. ly coupled - locked in a partnership that Han claims that we are in the midst of
Such consumerism has also a great has started to feel less like a choice and a “crisis of freedom”[1]. In this current
environmental impact, as resources more like a burden. Especially in times age of ‘psychopolitics’ we have lost all
are needlessly spent. Hence, it looks of pandemic-related isolation, where we control and agency due to the fact that
like we should refrain from aggressive are extremely reliant on digital technolo- human beings have become data sets to
consumption and try to focus on mea- gies to connect us to friends and family, be mined, predictable and calculable en-
ningful social and personal relations- it has become even more important to tities defined in terms of data. As data
hips, fulfilling careers and/or hobbies examine exactly how we are being sha- steadily becomes the most valuable com-
– both for our own well-being, as well ped by the technologies through which modity, individuals are not only exploi-
as the planet‘s. we experience the world. The promises ted for it, but made to exploit themsel-
of early techno-utopianism have left a ves. Under the guise of making life easier
CHRYSTALLENI VASSILIOU sour taste today when everyday life has and seamless, a fatal exchange must be
DZNE become saturated by cyberspace. Trou- made. Typically, this is characterized as
PH.D. STUDENT, AG DEAN bles ranging from reducing screen time trading in of certain fundamental privi-
to Youtube rabbit holes, all contribute to leges, such as privacy and autonomy, for
strained, even septic, relationships with convenience. As Shoshana Zuboff points
digital technologies. out, on top of the state of ‘surveillance
capitalism’ accorded by advanced tech,
This article is in extremely good com- individuals are also treated as lab rats
pany with the hundreds and thousands to be modified and experimented upon
[1] Abdallah et al, New Economics Foundati- of others, studies and opeds published (such as PokémonGO being used as a
on, 2009. about the technological precipice we are tool of mass behaviour modification)
[2] Proschle, online at https://bit.ly/3cup5zB on the brink of. A common reaction has [2]. Never have the personal tools onto
[3] Easterlin., Does Economic Growth been to try and find a way to dispose of which we offload some of our cognitive
Improve the Human Lot? Some Empirical these things which supposedly enslave processes been so blatantly used in order
Evidence, In: Nations and households in us, to reject their impact by trying to go to adapt our psychology for the ends of
economic growth, 1974. back to a time when their grasp on us those wanting to sell products. Platforms
[4] Easterlin, O’Connor, IZA Institute of wasn’t as strong. Tactics such as down- such as Facebook, Twitter, etc were me-
Labor Economics, 2020. grading devices and taking ‘digital deto- ant to signal a new age of connection
[5] Simms et al, Schumacher College & NEF, xes’ are among these attempts to reverse and collaboration. In reality, the tools
2010. the damage that has already been done, which now mediate so many aspects of
[6] Jansiz, J.L. & Pol., 2014 normally based in negative arguments our psychological, personal and social
[7] Thompson et al., New Economics against the perils of modern technolo- lives seem to be working less and less in
Foundation, 2007 gy. Less work has been promoted which our favour.
April 2021 CNS newsletter 7
F O C US On top of this many choices are now delegated Save your relationship INSTANTLY with these quick tips! to algorithms, everything from deciding what Unfortunately, there is no magic solution or quick fixes. And even if recipe to cook tonight to which jobs to apply to there was, I would certainly not be the guru to impart this knowledge. (and who to hire). Algorithmic processing has Taking into account all that is laid out above, there‘s no wonder that become the middleman between many of our we are in a tricky bind in our relationship to tech. In lieu of comple- perceptions and interpretations of the outside tely dismantling the neoliberal capitalist system, there are some steps world. The YouTube algorithm has come under that can be taken to renegotiate some better positions and reinvigorate fire for creating echo chambers where people our attitudes. Whether it is through artistic interventions or micro-re- are only shown content which they already like sistances in everyday life, whatever that needs to be done is a very and agree with. This business strategy was de- personal decision. Yes, collective action is also imperative, such as vised in order to make sure that users remain on putting pressure on companies and states to design and disseminate the platform as long as possible. However, the result of this is that it exacerbates confirmation bias and pushes people to the extremes, leading to increasing polarization when it comes to po- litical views. While the digital realm has ope- ned up innumerable avenues for interpretation of the world, the algorithms which govern this exploration have funnelled people into very specific (and often extreme) ideologies. It is important to consider the structure of digi- tal spaces to be as real and as impactful as phy- sical structures. The very topography of online spaces leaves us inert, fueled by software which purposely encourages passivity and dependen- cy. Just like the design of a city will impact the way we move around in space, leading to more or less interpersonal connection and collective opportunities, the architecture of the online world can equally impact the way we think. Closed-source, proprietary software is now almost ubiquitous, and people are no longer encouraged to collectively tinker and improve the software that they use- as was the norm at the dawn of the internet. The black boxes of the digital sphere actively discourage us from participating in the creation of our own digital spaces leading to this feeling of frustration and alienation. As the extent of control and surveillance exerted through the digital sphere is increasingly unco- vered, it can be tempting to throw our hands up and claim that all is lost for humanity. We are destined to become, or have already become, mindless slaves to algorithms and (eventually) to all-powerful artificial intelligence systems. Is the situation really this dire? I would argue that there is still room to act and resist the logic of surveillance capitalism without buying into techno-utopianism and going full Elon Musk. 8 CNS newsletter April 2021
F O CU S
more ethical technologies. However, changing the status of one’s per- dichotomies around which we construct oursel-
sonal relationship to technology and reasserting a sense of agency is an ves should be questioned; thanks to our status
equally important starting point. This does not need to be as stressful as cyborg beings, it no longer makes sense to
or as serious as going to a marriage counselor. In her expansive and contrast self/other and mind/body. Embracing
prescient essay ‘The Cyborg Manifesto’, Donna Harraway provides us the contradictory nature of messy and complex
with some important considerations for moving past this standstill in systems such as ourselves, instead of forcing
techno-personal relations. The integration of machines into our bodies, them into easy-to-make-sense-of boxes, is the
minds and conceptions of self have thoroughly blurred the formerly first step to changing the status of relationships
pronounced line between natural and artificial. While embracing this to technology.
may seem counterintuitive, digital technologies force us to confront the
fact that this distinction has always been somewhat of a fiction. The Following Haraway, playfulness and pleasure
should be at the center of agential nego-
tiations. She ironically urges us to “seize
the tools to mark the world” and treat
machines as “prosthetic devices, inti-
mate components, friendly selves”. But
what does this all mean? Some tactics
for resistance could be to purposefully
inject randomness and dysfunction into
your digital interactions. Use maps apps
to get lost instead of to find your way
or start up a completely unrelated con-
versation in the comments of a Youtube
video. Another potential route could be
to focus on the opportunities for fasci-
nation and marvels that the digital world
has the potential to provide. This could
be as simple as building habits which
leave time for pause and reflection in-
stead of constantly hurtling forward at
breakneck speed. Instead of shooting
hundreds of digital photos, limit yourself
to a few per day as if it were analogue.
Instead of being overwhelmed by all the
music available on Spotify or Youtube,
build a music library with purpose by
actually buying the records of artists
you love. One thing is for certain, the-
re is no going backwards from this stage
of technological development. The only
question left to ask is, where can we go
from here?
JASMINE ONSTAD
BERLIN SCHOOL
OF MIND AND BRAIN
M.A. STUDENT
[1] Byung-Chul. Psychopolitics. Verso, 2017.
[2] Shoshana. The Age of Surveillance Capitalism.
Adfo Books, 2019.
[3] Donna & Wolfe. Manifestly Haraway,
Univ Of Minnesota Press, 2016
Credit: Fritz Kahn via Ky on flickr
April 2021 CNS newsletter 9
F O C US
The Science of Happiness
An introduction to positive psychology
If you’re about to read this article, I ask war times this focus shifted to healing those two outcomes [6]. Further, poten-
you to pause here and take a piece of and repairing damage. Thus, any tial confounding variables such
paper to do a small exercise. I want you damage to human fun- as life events, effects of
to think about your day for a moment ctioning was in- treatments for
and write down three good things that vestigated within “If positive psychology physical condi-
happened and why they happened. Are a disease cont- is on the cusp of something new, tions, or general
you ready? ext. While this stress levels need
focus certainly
it derives from something to be taken into
A classical experiment was important, as old as humanity itself, account. Final-
The exercise you just did was a task from it neglected the the search for happiness” [7] ly, although the
a landmark study by Martin Seligman study of the he- amount of rando-
investigating the long-term benefits of althy population and mized, placebo-con-
positive psychology exercises [1]. In their thriving for well-being. trolled trials is increasing in
this study, subjects were asked to per- It was not until the 1990s that this fo- the field, not all studies are yet invol-
form one of two tasks for a week: “Three cus really shifted to the prevention of ving a reasonable control-condition [4].
good things” or “Using your signature diseases and therefore identifying buf-
strengths in a new way”. For the second fers against mental illness. Areas such Future directions
task, participants first completed an on- as resilience, optimism and mindfulness Once these limitations are taken into ac-
line survey identifying five character received increasing attention and slowly count, positive psychology interventions
strengths. Then, they had to use one of formed positive psychology as a scienti- might be promising add-on therapies for
these strengths in a new way every day. fic discipline [5]. many physical diseases. Medicine has
Both of these tasks lead to an increase in shifted its focus to patient-centered in-
happiness and a decrease in depressive Recent applications terventions to include mental and emo-
symptoms for six months compared to a Nowadays, positive psychology inter- tional health impacts in addition to the
placebo task. Importantly, these results ventions are also investigated as add-on physical health problems that result from
have also been replicated in another stu- therapies for other medical conditions medical conditions. Positive psychology
dy [2]. [4]. For example, Huffman et al. investi- interventions might be a promising tool
gated the effect of a phone-based positive here [7]. However, positive psychology
What is positive psychology? psychology intervention in patients with is not limited to actual therapy, but also
Positive psychology as a discipline is de- acute cardiac disease [6]. The 8-week can be incorporated in your everyday life
fined as the study of positive experiences program focused on strengthening gra- with brief exercises like the one at the
and character traits along with ways to titude, optimism and kindness. For ex- beginning of this article. Are you ready
cultivate them [2,3]. As such, positive ample, in the first week, subjects had to to give it a try?
psychology can show effective ways to recall and record three events they were
improve functioning and well-being. Just grateful for in the past week. In week MELINA ENGELHARDT
as in the previous exercise, much rese- four, subjects were instructed to imagi- MEDNEURO
arch is focused on tasks that can be ap- ne their best possible self in the next five PH.D. STUDENT, AG PICHT
plied by the general population or people years and think about how to reach the-
that are generally considered healthy. re. The intervention led to reduced de-
The focus is specifically on nurturing pression and anxiety, as well as increa-
strengths; however, research also investi- sed happiness and quality of life by the
gates the integration of positive psycho- end of the trial as compared to baseline
logy into therapy for mental illness [4]. and a control group.
[1] Seligman & Steen, Am. Psychol., 2005
Historical origin Limitations [2] Mongrain & Anselmo-Matthews, J Clin
Positive psychology as a discipline is still Studies investigating positive psycho- Psychol, 2012
rather young, with Seligman being one logy interventions have been criticized [3] Seligman, NY Free Press, 2011
of the key figures in the field. It is argued for a lack of methodological quality [4]. [4] Macaskill, Healthcare, 2016
that psychology historically had three fo- For instance, the previously mentioned [5] Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, Am. Psychol.,
cus areas: “curing mental illness, making study by Huffman et al. did not include 2000
the lives of all people more productive a psychometrically sound measure for [6] Huffman et al, Heart International, 2011
and fulfilling, and identifying and nurtu- gratitude or positive effect, although the [7] Duckworth et al, Annu Rev Clin Psychol,
ring high talent” [5]. However, in post- intervention was designed to increase 2005
Credit: vectorjuice | Freepik
10 CNS newsletter April 2021F O CU S
The Power of Gratitude
Acknowledging the good that you group was asked to write down things take a few minutes out of your day to
already have in your life is the they were grateful for [1]. count your blessings.
foundation for all abundance.
~Eckhart Tolle This research showed that people who Conclusion
keep a gratitude journal are more likely Once you start to actively look for things
Gratitude is one of those concepts we to exercise regularly, have fewer physical in your life that you are grateful for, it sets
are taught when we are kids. If you are symptoms, feel better about their lives, in motion a cascade of positive effects.
like me, it went something like this: One are more likely to attain personal goals, The more you actively practice gratitude,
of your relatives gave you a gift and and are more optimistic about the future the more it will become a habit. Once the
your parents taught you to say thank [1]. Not only did people who practiced habit is established, you will notice that
you; but after that, gratitude as a con- gratitude feel better about their lives, but you feel grateful for things you previous-
cept didn't receive much more attention. they also reported higher levels of alert- ly took for granted. On top of that, you
I can't really blame my parents for that, ness, enthusiasm, determination, attenti- will become a more positive and optimis-
after all, there were a whole lot of other veness, and energy and experienced re- tic person, and that in turn leads to better
things they had to teach a toddler. It was duced levels of depression and stress [1]. health and better relationships.
only later in life that I discovered there This study shows that practicing grati-
was a whole lot more about gratitude tude can increase happiness by 25%. It All of this is great news in times of a
than just saying thank you. works by increasing your happiness set- pandemic when from time to time ever-
point. The happiness set-point refers to ything can look rather hopeless. When
So what exactly is gratitude? Depending your basic level of happiness. When so- we focus on all the things we still have
on the context, gratitude can have more mething good happens to you, your hap- rather than all the things we lost, life
than one definition. Except for just a way piness might temporarily increase from will start looking better. After all, there
to express appreciation toward someone the set-point but over time it will return are still a lot of things to be grateful for.
who has given you a gift, it can also be to its natural state. When something ne- We can even take this a step further and
an attitude or an emotion [1]. A state gative occurs, the opposite happens. express gratitude for some of the pan-
of being, so to say. In this general sta- demic-related constraints forced upon
te of thankfulness, a person feels a deep How to practice gratitude us. Maybe we can be grateful for being
appreciation for what is valuable and So all these positive effects are great, but compelled to slow down and look more
meaningful to them [2]. As an emotion, how do you practice gratitude more acti- inward. Or maybe we are grateful for
gratitude is an attribution-dependent vely? One of the most well-known ways the countless new things we discovered
state that results from a two-step cogni- to strengthen your gratitude muscle is in our own neighborhood on one of the
tive process: (a) recognizing that one has through journaling. The easiest way to many walks we have taken.
obtained a positive outcome, and (b) re- do this is to write down three things you
cognizing that there is an external source are grateful for at the end of each day. If In other words, appreciate the little
for this positive outcome [1]. this seems like a lot, you can also start things, the rest will follow.
out by doing this exercise once a week.
Why should I practice gratitude? ADRIANA VAN CASTEREN
Research shows that practicing a more If you are afraid that sitting down and MEDNEURO
active form of gratitude increases peo- writing about a few things you are gra- PH.D. STUDENT, AG GARNER
ple's quality of life. Especially during a teful for will be too stringent and
pandemic, some extra positivity can do boring, you can use a less strict [1] Emmons &
wonders. format. For example, a more free- McCullough, J Pers
form version of this exercise is to Soc Psychol, 2003
In a study conducted by two psycholo- think about all the things you are [2] Sansone & Sansone,
gists, Michael McCollough and Robert grateful for when you have your Psychiatry, 2010
Emmons, participants were assigned to morning coffee. Basically, any
three groups. All participants were as- moment of
ked to keep a journal, but the focus of the the day that
things they wrote down was different. is relatively
The first group was not given any parti- calm will do.
cular focus for the kind of things to write The most im-
down. The second group was asked to re- portant thing
cord negative experiences. And the third is that you
April 2021 CNS newsletter 11F O C US
Toxic Positivity: Can You Be Just Too Happy?
Too much of anything is bad, including positive vibes
What is it and how to avoid toxic them and have a few people, friends and/ Suppressed emotions
positivity. or family, we can turn to for help and ad- Many studies indicate that suppres-
In today’s era of social media, a place vice. This is also part of being authentic sing our emotions can increase mental
where most people want to present their and allows for personal growth. Another and physical stress. Researchers from
best selves, it is not surprising that a cul- reason toxic positivity arises is trying to Stan- ford University and the Universi-
ture of toxic positivity has arisen. While stay true to a fake persona, probably one ty of Ca- lifornia, Berkeley have shown
keeping an optimistic mindset is shown that lives the perfect life (if such a thing that in- structions to inhibit expressing
to have many benefits on mental and exists), or wanting people to be jealous behavior while watching a sad, neutral
physical well-being [1], avoiding and of us. These motives are seen more and or amusing film leads to a decrease in
suppressing negative emotions can have more in today’s social media culture [2], self-reports of enjoyment together with
destructive consequences. where sometimes it feels like we are increased sym- pathetic activation of the
competing for who is the happiest and cardiovascular system [5]. Similarly, the
What is toxic positivity and how lives the most amazing life. same researchers showed that emotional
to identify it? inhibition while watching a disgust-eli-
Toxic positivity is often understood as On the other hand, when we become to- citing film didn’t change the emotional
an overgeneralized optimistic mindset xic to others by being “too positive”, it is experience but had a large physiological
or as inauthentic happiness and can be usually when trying to be supportive and impact such as decreased heart rate, in-
conscious or subconscious. It is usual- encouraging. There is a fine line between creased blinking, and increased sympa-
ly expressed with phrases such as “Just the two and one must be careful not to thetic nervous system activity [6]. This
smile”, “You will be fine”, “Always look cross the boundaries. Alternatively, peo- does not only indicate a higher physical
on the bright side” and “Cheer up.” This ple might turn to toxic positivity when toll but could also lead to decreased cog-
encourages denial, invalidation, rejecti- they want to brush off someone else’s nitive performance [6]. Moreover, a 10-
on or even shame of negative feelings. problem, instead of spending the time year follow-up study demonstrated that
However, life is not always blissful and and effort of listening and helping out avoiding negative feelings as a coping
we have to face hard and painful situa- the other person. mechanism is linked to depressive symp-
tions. If we want to grow as people, we toms [7]. As humans, we are supposed to
should openly identify and address the Negative consequences of toxic have a wide range of emotions and being
emotions elicited by such experiences in- positivity able to express them is itself relieving.
stead of repressing them and pretending
that nothing is wrong. After all, learning Shame and guilt Relationship problems and isolation
requires honest reflection on ourselves. We often tend to judge ourselves for ha- When we deny our feelings, we inevi-
Here are some signs of toxic positivity: ving negative emotions. Researchers at tably put a wall that makes it harder to
the University of California, Berkeley connect to other people. We do not al-
• Dismissing uncomfortable situations looked into “habitual acceptance” [3], low others to get to know our real selves.
rather than facing them. the degree to which people accept their In addition, it also becomes harder for
• Silencing negative feelings. thoughts and emotions without criti- other people to feel comfortable enough
• Minimizing other people’s negative cizing them, and its relation to health. to honestly express themselves in front
experiences and invalidating their Not so surprisingly, they found that it is of others, as they may believe that their
emotional states. healthier to accept our emotions becau- viewpoint will not be understood or that
• Feeling guilty when in a bad mood. se the guilt that comes with the self-cri- there is no interest in anything that is
• Shaming others for expressing nega- ticism of negative thoughts will make not positive. It is therefore expected that
tive thoughts. things worse. Our understanding of what toxic positivity can lead to isolation and
others expect us to feel also affects the problems with creating meaningful rela-
Why does it happen? management of our feelings, as another tionships with other people. Even if there
Toxic positivity can be inflicted both on study has shown that if we think that are not many studies on this, there is evi-
ourselves and on others. An example others expect us to have no negative dence that emotional suppression negati-
of self-inflicted toxic positivity is when emotions, we experience more of them vely affects social functioning [8].
people pretend to be happy in order to [4]. This is likely due to self-blaming and
avoid being a burden to other people. It believing that others will judge us for not Prevented growth
could start as a coping mechanism for being constantly happy. In this way, to- By avoiding painful and unpleasant fee-
life’s difficulties. Even though oversha- xic positivity can lead to both guilt and lings, we are preventing ourselves from
ring our problems can also be proble- shame, which can be crippling for the facing new challenges, learning from
matic, it is very important to recognize human mind. them and growing as people. Negative
12 CNS newsletter April 2021F O CU S
experiences are often more useful
than positive ones, but we cannot
take advantage of them if we pre-
Credit: Mario Rodriguez | Aggie
tend that we don’t have them. Facing
difficult situations teaches us how to
handle similar issues in the future,
hence becoming a better version of
ourselves. We should therefore em-
brace all of our emotions and put our
effort into growing through them.
How to avoid toxic positivity
Recognize and accept negative thoughts:
First of all, hopefully, this article has hel-
ped you realize that you are not alone. with both mental and physical well- Conclusion
T. Rodriguez, an American psychothera- being [11]. Even though the search for This article has hopefully made it clear
pist, wrote in 2013 that she has noticed meaning in life can be hard, it may be how important it is to acknowledge and
an increased number of patients feeling a better goal than the fleeting feeling of face your feelings, as well as understan-
guilt for having negative emotions, so- happiness. A practice towards this goal ding and accepting other’s emotions. By
mething she blames on our culture’s would be to focus on more meaningful being able to recognize toxic positivity,
obsession with optimism [9]. Instead activities. By spending our time more knowing why it’s bad and what you can
of getting anxious about our feelings productively, for example by voluntee- do to improve the situation, you should
and rushing to change them, she sug- ring for a cause that is important for us be able to rid yourself from any toxic
gests acknowledging them and using or by practicing our creative skills, we traits and set boundaries when other’s
techniques as breathing, writing, or sim- can get satisfaction through developing toxic positivity is influencing you. This
ply talking about it as a way of dealing deeper relationships and getting grati- should make your life and the life of
with them. Practicing meditation and fication through helping others and gi- everyone you care about, imperfect as it
mindfulness could also help with recog- ving back to society. may be, better and more authentic!
nizing and accepting our feelings. Also,
we should try to have realistic expecta- Improve our vocabulary CHRYSTALLENI VASSILIOU
tions of ourselves and how we should Instead of passing positive phrases like DZNE
feel. It can be helpful to remind ourselves those above or saying “you’ll get over it”, PH.D. STUDENT, AG DEAN
that negative feelings are not permanent “just think positive” and “never give up”,
and often they are just part of the pro- we should try to use a more inclusive and
cess. When going through changes or understanding vocabulary. For example:
trying to improve ourselves, challenges “It’s normal to feel bad”, “This is a ter-
will undoubtedly appear; hence, negative rible situation, I am sorry you have to go
emotions are expected and should be ac- through this”, “This is hard, but you’ve
cepted. Different methods work for dif- done hard things before so I believe in
ferent individuals, so we will have to try you”, or “Failure is part of the process”.
some out for ourselves and see. The goal [1] Conversano et al, Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment
is to manage our emotions effectively, Listen more and offer support Health, 2010
but without denying them. Often unconsciously, we tend to dismiss [2] Zheng & Lee, Comput. Hum. Behav., 2016
others’ feelings. We should therefore try [3] Ford et al, J. Pers. Soc. Psychol., 2018
Focus on meaning rather than happiness to focus more when someone is talking [4] Bastian et al, Emotion, 2012
Studies indicate that the more we search about a problem they have. After under- [5] Gross & Levenson, J Abnorm Psychol., 1997
for happiness, the less likely we are to standing the situation and recognizing [6] Gross & Levenson, J Pers Soc Psychol., 1993
find it [10]. This, they say, is because the the person’s feelings, perhaps using the [7] Holahan et al, J Consult Clin Psychol., 2005
more we value happiness, the more likely statements above, the best thing we can [8] Srivastava et al, J Pers Soc Psychol., 2009
it is to be disappointed by our own fee- do is to remind the person that we are [9] Rodrigues, Scientific American, 2013
lings. On the other hand, the presence of there for them and will try to help as [10] Mauss et al, Emotion, 2011
meaning in life is positively correlated much as possible. [11] Aftab et al, J Clin Psychiatry, 2020
April 2021 CNS newsletter 13F O C US
Does Persistence Beat the Odds?
What’s behind never giving up? hats at the same time. Hybrids adopt one focus or the other,
Have you ever started off well on a new goal, such as losing often as a function of which motivation is best suited to the
weight or saving more money, only to find that motivation task at hand. Although there have been investigations, no
fizzles after a period of time? From a psychological point scientific study has identified the neural correlates of each
of view, during the early stages of pursuing a goal people combinations of goal domain and goal attainment status [5].
are motivated by hopes, aspirations, and positive aspects of
reaching their desired outcome. For example, people who
want to lose 20 pounds might imagine their appearance at a The brain chemistry of human persistence.
desired weight, buying new clothes and feeling more ener- Human persistence is linked to motivation. From a neuros-
getic. This is known as a promotion motivation, and people cientific aspect, dopamine is one such magic brain chemical
in this mindset are motivated by the positive things they can that keeps people disciplined enough to persevere towards a
to do to make progress, such as exercising more and eating goal or completion of a task. There is a wide range of factors
more fruit and vegetables. There is a strategic emphasis on that come into play when someone decides to persevere, but
„making good things happen“. However, as people draw clo- dopamine is considered a major force in the process. This
ser to reaching their goals, researchers predict they would reward molecule is implicated in forming lifelong habits.
switch to a prevention motivation mindset. Now, they would Positive reinforcement in behavior can be described by cer-
be motivated by their responsibilities, duties and the desire tain receptors that are essential for such a pattern formation.
to avoid something negative or the looming possibility of In a mouse brain, nociceptin neurons get activated before a
failing. People trying to lose 20 pounds might think about mouse is least interested in seeking reward or on the verge
the disappointment of possibly falling short of the weight of giving up, and they emit a molecule known as nociceptin
loss goal or not fitting into a coveted piece of clothing. that suppresses dopamine [6]. These nociceptin neurons are
They would then start focusing on avoiding the wrong located near a brain area known to be important for reward
things, such as steering clear of desserts and a sedentary behavior called the ventral tegmental area. So, if the activity
lifestyle [1]. These two cognitive motivational systems that of such neurons and receptors is altered, a way to modula-
essentially regulate pleasure and pain fall under the term te motivation and persistence through them can be found.
„Regulatory Focus The- This discovery could have
rapy“, have been studied potential benefits for peo-
extensively in personal ple with depression by in-
goal pursuit [2]. Cont- creasing their energy and
emplation of personal motivation or people with
goals has been observed addiction by decreasing
to elicit activation in motivation for drug se-
brain regions linked to arch and consumption.
self-reflection and/or en-
compassed by the default
mode network. [3]. The “Discipline is the
default mode network, bridge between goals
which includes the medi- and accomplishment”.
al PFC, posterior cingula- - Jim Rohn
te cortex, precuneus, late-
ral and medial temporal Similar to dopamine‘s
lobes, and posterior in- big role in motivation
ferior parietal lobule, is a and reward, serotonin is
network of brain regions another neurotransmitter
thought to be preferenti- that promotes persever-
ally active during inter- ance. Previous data have
nally focused cognition suggested that increased
[4]. Most people have a serotonin levels make
dominant focus depen- animals (including peo-
dent on the situation or ple) more willing to wait
social history of the per- longer for a reward to ar-
son. There are a few hy- rive – in other words, it
brids who can wear both makes them more patient
At the point of giving up, neurons in green get very active and
suppress dopamine (Credit: Max Huffman).
14 CNS newsletter April 2021F O CU S
So how do I beat the odds?
Begin small, but have some discipline and do so-
mething today. To get this to work, create routines,
and don‘t leave it to chance. When you discipline
yourself, it‘s like programming a robot. There‘s no
more emotion involved. It‘s simply ’if this … then
that‘ – that‘s why a plan of attack is so crucial. You
don‘t have to decide what you want to do every single
day when you wake up. To produce more dopamine,
get in the habit of setting deadlines and completing
goals promptly. Create a daily schedule that includes
Credit: Tim@thelset.com
self-imposed deadlines and stick to it. Self-assess but
at the same time do not be overly critical of yourself.
Tap into your internal dopamine reserves
on demand.
Use timers and calendars to keep you on track and
condition yourself. Consistent regular activity is a
way to hardwire the habit of persistence. Partner
[7]. However, this idea has now been challenged by an in- with a like-minded friend who has similar goals and makes
ternational team led by neuroscientists from the Champali- a pact that you will hold one another accountable to stay on
maud Centre for the Unknown (CCU), in Lisbon, Portugal track. Structure your challenges to have smaller and well-de-
[8]. Their results show that serotonin promotes more than fined self-imposed deadlines. Tasks involving safety and ac-
just passive waiting, more than simple patience. It enhances curacy should be handled via prevention feedbacks, whereas
active persistence in a task, even in the face of uncertain promotion strategies can be used for tasks involving creati-
reward. This means actively following through on a task vity or advancement. Be methodical and stop leaving things
even if it‘s unpleasant, like completing your homework, till the last minute. You want to keep the flow of dopamine
whereas many other forms of patience simply require sit- constant and break the roller-coaster pattern of procrastina-
ting tight and doing nothing. tion followed by panic.
TEJASWINI KARRA
ALUMNUS MEDNEURO
MASTER OF SCIENCE
[1] Bullard & Manchanda, J Consumer Psychology, 2017
[2] Higgins, „Promotion and prevention: Regulatory focus as a
motivational principle.“ In Adv in Exp Soc Psy, 1998.
[3] Spreng et al, Neuroimage, 2010
[4] Buckner, Andrews-Hanna, & Schacter, Cog Neurosci, 2008
[5] Strauman et al, Personality Neurosci, 2020
[6] Parker et al, Cell, 2019
[7] Miyazaki et al, Mol. Neurobiol, 2012
[8] Lottem et al, Nat comm., 2018
„Dopamine is the main neurotransmitter driving preseverance“
April 2021 CNS newsletter 15F O C US
Fixed vs. Growth
How your mindset can help you move forward
The terms fixed and growth mindset was proper training. In this case, failure sim- which always seems so close but remains
first coined by Carol Dweck, a resear- ply becomes a learning opportunity and out of reach, you can decide to focus on
cher at Stanford University [1]. Carol not something to be avoided at all costs. the process. In this case, it could look like
Dweck studies human motivation and This kind of mindset is called the growth focusing on the small victories science
with her research is trying to determine mindset [2]. has won. But it could also be developing
why some people succeed and others do new skill sets that help you cope with
not. She found that people fell into one of Applying the growth mindset changes in society, be that by finding
these two mindsets, and which one you One example of an area where people new things to do in your free time or by
fall into is one of the determining factors often apply a fixed mindset is when they honing skills that help you take care of
for success [2]. want to start working out more regularly. yourself when the future seems bleak.
To try to keep themselves motivated they
So what are the characteristics of both will set a goal. The goal could be losing a After all, skills are not something you
mindsets? Dweck identified the two certain amount of weight, running a 5k are merely born with but can be strengt-
groups in 1995 by asking students to race, or running a marathon. What often hened when you nurture them. Instead
score their agreement from 1 (strongly happens in these cases is that people do of dismissing yourself as someone who
agree) to 6 (strongly disagree) to the fol- very well before they reach their goal but is simply not good at being alone, try to
lowing statements: once they reach it, all motivation is lost find ways to improve your skillset to help
and they stop completely. you navigate these circumstances. Focus
(a) "You have a certain amount of on the process rather than the goal.
intelligence and you really can't do A more growth-oriented way to stay mo-
much to change it"; tivated would be to try to never go three ADRIANA VAN CASTEREN
(b) "Your intelligence is something about days without working out. In this case, MEDNEURO
you that you can't change very the focus isn't entirely on the result or PH.D. STUDENT, AG GARNER
much"; and intensity of the workout, but more on
(c) "You can learn new things, but you building a habit that allows you to reach
can't really change your basic the results that you want.
intelligence." [1] https://bit.ly/31fgPx6
Growth mindset in times [2] https://bit.ly/31dX7Sd
The group that mostly agreed with the- of a pandemic [3] Dweck et al, Psychol. Inq., 1995
se statements viewed their intelligen- Interestingly, this mindset shift cannot
ce or skills as fixed traits [3]. In other only help in reaching your goals, but it
words, these students did not believe can also help you cope better during
that they could significantly improve this pandemic. Instead of focusing
their skills. This mindset led them to try on the end of the pandemic,
to look as smart as possible by trying to
never make a mistake. For those in this
group, every challenge became a confir-
mation of whether they were intelli-
gent or not. Eventually, they beg-
an to avoid situations in which
they predicted they would fail.
Dr. Dweck called this type of
mindset a fixed mindset [2].
In the second group, students
believed that talents and abi-
lities can be developed over
time. This does not mean that
everyone will start out with the
same capabilities. Some might
be better at math, for example, than
others. However, these students belie-
ved that anyone can improve a skill with
Credit: tatoenjoy | Freepik
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