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Johnston M, McCormack T, Lorimer S, Corbett B, Beck SR, Hoerl C, Feeney A. Relieved or disappointed? Children's understanding of how others feel at the cessation of events. J Exp Child Psychol 2024; 246:106016. [PMID: 39043116 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024]
Abstract
People's emotional states are influenced not just by events occurring in the present but also by how events have unfolded in the past and how they are likely to unfold in the future. To what extent do young children understand the ways in which past events can affect current emotions even if they are no longer ongoing? In the current study, we explored children's ability to understand how others feel at the cessation of events-as events change from being present to being past. We asked 97 4- to 6-year-olds (40.2% female) and 35 adults (54.3% female) to judge how characters felt once particular types of events had ended relative to how they felt during these events. We found that from age 4, children judged (as adults do) that the character would feel positive at the cessation of negative events-what we refer to as temporal relief. This understanding of relief occurs earlier than has been shown in previous research. However, children were less likely than adults to judge others as feeling sad at the cessation of positive events-what we refer to as temporal disappointment. Overall, our findings suggest that children not only understand that the cessation of events can affect others' emotions but also recognize that people feel differently following the cessation of positive, negative, and neutral events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Johnston
- School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5BN, UK; School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AD, UK.
| | - Teresa McCormack
- School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5BN, UK
| | - Sara Lorimer
- School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5BN, UK; School of Psychology, Ulster University, Coleraine BT52 1SA, UK
| | - Bethany Corbett
- School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5BN, UK; School of Psychology, Ulster University, Coleraine BT52 1SA, UK
| | - Sarah R Beck
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Christoph Hoerl
- Department of Philosophy, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Aidan Feeney
- School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5BN, UK
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2
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Rosenberg BM, Moreira JFG, Leal ASM, Saragosa-Harris NM, Gaines E, Meredith WJ, Waizman Y, Ninova E, Silvers JA. Functional connectivity between the nucleus accumbens and amygdala underlies avoidance learning during adolescence: Implications for developmental psychopathology. Dev Psychopathol 2024:1-13. [PMID: 39324228 DOI: 10.1017/s095457942400141x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/27/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reward and threat processes work together to support adaptive learning during development. Adolescence is associated with increasing approach behavior (e.g., novelty-seeking, risk-taking) but often also coincides with emerging internalizing symptoms, which are characterized by heightened avoidance behavior. Peaking engagement of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) during adolescence, often studied in reward paradigms, may also relate to threat mechanisms of adolescent psychopathology. METHODS 47 typically developing adolescents (9.9-22.9 years) completed an aversive learning task during functional magnetic resonance imaging, wherein visual cues were paired with an aversive sound or no sound. Task blocks involved an escapable aversively reinforced stimulus (CS+r), the same stimulus without reinforcement (CS+nr), or a stimulus that was never reinforced (CS-). Parent-reported internalizing symptoms were measured using Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scales. RESULTS Functional connectivity between the NAcc and amygdala differentiated the stimuli, such that connectivity increased for the CS+r (p = .023) but not for the CS+nr and CS-. Adolescents with greater internalizing symptoms demonstrated greater positive functional connectivity for the CS- (p = .041). CONCLUSIONS Adolescents show heightened NAcc-amygdala functional connectivity during escape from threat. Higher anxiety and depression symptoms are associated with elevated NAcc-amygdala connectivity during safety, which may reflect poor safety versus threat discrimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin M Rosenberg
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - João F Guassi Moreira
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Adriana S Méndez Leal
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth Gaines
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Wesley J Meredith
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yael Waizman
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Emilia Ninova
- College of Social Work, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Jennifer A Silvers
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
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3
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Hinojosa JA, Guasch M, Montoro PR, Albert J, Fraga I, Ferré P. The bright side of words: Norms for 9000 Spanish words in seven discrete positive emotions. Behav Res Methods 2024; 56:4909-4929. [PMID: 37749425 PMCID: PMC11289151 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-023-02229-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, assumptions about the existence of a single construct of happiness that accounts for all positive emotions have been questioned. Instead, several discrete positive emotions with their own neurobiological and psychological mechanisms have been proposed. Of note, the effects of positive emotions on language processing are not yet properly understood. Here we provide a database for a large set of 9000 Spanish words scored by 3437 participants in the positive emotions of awe, contentment, amusement, excitement, serenity, relief, and pleasure. We also report significant correlations between discrete positive emotions and several affective (e.g., valence, arousal, happiness, negative discrete emotions) and lexico-semantic (e.g., frequency of use, familiarity, concreteness, age of acquisition) characteristics of words. Finally, we analyze differences between words conveying a single emotion ("pure" emotion words) and those denoting more than one emotion ("mixed" emotion words). This study will provide researchers a rich source of information to do research that contributes to expanding the current knowledge on the role of positive emotions in language. The norms are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.21533571.v2.
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Affiliation(s)
- José A Hinojosa
- Instituto Pluridisciplinar, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
- Dpto. Psicología Experimental, Procesos Cognitivos y Logopedia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Nebrija en Cognición (CINC), Universidad Nebrija, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Marc Guasch
- Department of Psychology and CRAMC, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Pedro R Montoro
- Departamento de Psicología Básica 1, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Jacobo Albert
- Departamento de Psicología Biológica y de la Salud, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Isabel Fraga
- Cognitive Processes & Behaviour Research Group, Department of Social Psychology, Basic Psychology & Methodology, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Pilar Ferré
- Department of Psychology and CRAMC, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
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4
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Rosenberg BM, Barnes-Horowitz NM, Zbozinek TD, Craske MG. Reward processes in extinction learning and applications to exposure therapy. J Anxiety Disord 2024; 106:102911. [PMID: 39128178 PMCID: PMC11384290 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are common and highly distressing mental health conditions. Exposure therapy is a gold-standard treatment for anxiety disorders. Mechanisms of Pavlovian fear learning, and particularly fear extinction, are central to exposure therapy. A growing body of evidence suggests an important role of reward processes during Pavlovian fear extinction. Nonetheless, predominant models of exposure therapy do not currently incorporate reward processes. Herein, we present a theoretical model of reward processes in relation to Pavlovian mechanisms of exposure therapy, including a focus on dopaminergic prediction error signaling, coinciding positive emotional experiences (i.e., relief), and unexpected positive outcomes. We then highlight avenues for further research and discuss potential strategies to leverage reward processes to maximize exposure therapy response, such as pre-exposure interventions to increase reward sensitivity or post-exposure rehearsal (e.g., savoring, imaginal recounting strategies) to enhance retrieval and retention of learned associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin M Rosenberg
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Nora M Barnes-Horowitz
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Tomislav D Zbozinek
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michelle G Craske
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
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5
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Lorimer S, McCormack T, Hoerl C, Johnston M, Beck SR, Feeney A. Do both anticipated relief and anticipated regret predict decisions about influenza vaccination? Br J Health Psychol 2024; 29:134-148. [PMID: 37722923 DOI: 10.1111/bjhp.12691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Anticipated regret has been found to predict vaccination intentions and behaviours. We examined whether anticipated relief also predicts seasonal influenza vaccination intentions and behaviour. Given claims about differences in their antecedents and function, we distinguished between counterfactual relief (relief that a worse outcome did not obtain) and temporal relief (relief that an unpleasant experience is over). DESIGN Cross-sectional. METHODS Unvaccinated participants (N = 295) were recruited online in November 2020. Participants completed measures of anticipated regret, anticipated counterfactual relief, and anticipated temporal relief and measures of theory of planned behaviour constructs (attitudes, norms, perceived control, and intentions). One month later, the same participants were re-surveyed and asked to report their vaccination status. RESULTS Although all anticipated emotion measures were associated with intentions and behaviour, only anticipated counterfactual relief and regret independently predicted vaccination intentions in regression analyses. Mediation analysis showed both anticipated counterfactual relief and regret were indirectly, via intentions, associated with behaviour. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that, regardless of valence, counterfactual emotions predict vaccination intention and, indirectly, behaviour. Furthermore, participants may differ in their sensitivity to the anticipation of positive versus negative counterfactual emotions. These findings may permit more precise targeting of interventions to increase vaccine uptake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Lorimer
- School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | | | - Christoph Hoerl
- Department of Philosophy, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | | | - Sarah R Beck
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Aidan Feeney
- School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
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6
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Dewitte M, Meulders A. Fear Learning in Genital Pain: Toward a Biopsychosocial, Ecologically Valid Research and Treatment Model. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2023; 60:768-785. [PMID: 36648251 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2022.2164242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Although fear learning mechanisms are implicated in the development, maintenance, exacerbation, and reduction of genital pain, systematic research on how fear of genital pain emerges, spreads, persists, and reemerges after treatment is lacking. This paper provides an overview of the literature on pain-related fear, integrates the ideas on learning and sexual arousal responding, and specifies the pathways through which compromised learning may contribute to the development and persistence of genital pain. In order to refine theories of genital pain and optimize treatments, we need to adopt a biopsychosocial framework to pain-related fear learning and uncover potential moderators that shape individual trajectories. This involves examining the role of physiological processes, subjective experiences, as well as partner and relational cues in fear acquisition, excessive generalization and impaired safety learning, extinction of fear, counterconditioning, and return of fear. Recent methodological advances in fear conditioning and sex research are promising to enable more symptom-specific and ecologically valid experimental paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marieke Dewitte
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University
| | - Ann Meulders
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University
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7
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Vervliet B. Fear Extinction as a Psychologist Views It. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2023; 64:3-18. [PMID: 37498494 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2023_433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Fear extinction is a topic of central importance in translational neuroscience. It integrates knowledge from various disciplines, including clinical psychology, experimental psychology, psychiatry, cellular and systems neuroscience, and pharmacology. The experimental phenomenon of extinction was first discovered by Ivan P. Pavlov more than 100 years ago and still forms the basis for investigating the psychological and physiological mechanisms that drive extinction of fear. Here, I present old and new ways to think about fear conditioning and extinction from a psychologist's point of view. Extinction is a simple phenomenon with a complex machinery. Enhancing the behavioral analysis of extinction is necessary to advance research in neighboring disciplines as well and to increase our chances to develop extinction enhancers that might further improve efficacy of extinction-based therapies to treat dysfunctional fears. For that purpose, I address a number of fundamental questions in this chapter to clarify psychological viewpoints on the process of fear extinction. What is extinction? What is an association? What is fear? What can we learn from fear extinction? My goal is to reinforce critical thinking about basic assumptions underlying fear extinction and to open up new avenues for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bram Vervliet
- Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
- Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium.
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8
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Leng L, Beckers T, Vervliet B. No joy - why bother? Higher anhedonia relates to reduced pleasure from and motivation for threat avoidance. Behav Res Ther 2022; 159:104227. [PMID: 36423413 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2022.104227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Anhedonia impairs various components of the pleasure cycle, including wanting, liking, and the learning of pleasure-related associations. While successfully controlling threats might be inherently pleasurable, it remains unclear whether anhedonia affects this form of pleasure as well. With aversive pictures as threats, we conducted an online study ( N = 200) to investigate the role of anhedonia during active avoidance learning process. Participants first learned cue-threat associations for different cues (threat vs. safety cues). In a subsequent avoidance learning phase, these cues signaled either avoidable, unavoidable, or no threat; participants could perform avoidance responses to prevent the upcoming threats during those cue presentations. Subjective relief pleasantness was measured after each threat omission. We found that higher trait anticipatory and consummatory anhedonia were both associated with lower relief pleasantness. Higher trait anticipatory anhedonia was also associated with fewer avoidance attempts. Since reduced threat-controlling behavior is reminiscent of a learned-helplessness state, the current results contribute to a better understanding of the connections between anhedonia and learned helplessness that have mostly been studied separately in the context of mood disturbance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Leng
- Center for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, KU Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Tom Beckers
- Center for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, KU Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bram Vervliet
- Laboratory of Biological Psychology, KU Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium
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9
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Children’s understanding of counterfactual and temporal relief in others. J Exp Child Psychol 2022; 223:105491. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2022.105491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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10
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Esch T. The ABC Model of Happiness-Neurobiological Aspects of Motivation and Positive Mood, and Their Dynamic Changes through Practice, the Course of Life. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11060843. [PMID: 35741364 PMCID: PMC9220308 DOI: 10.3390/biology11060843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary This article proposes a new model for exploring happiness primarily from a neurobiological perspective. Such understanding includes the dynamics of positive mood states and how they change throughout life. Happiness is not a cognitive construct: it is an immediate emotional experience—a feeling that relies on neurophysiological activation in the brain’s reward system. With this in mind, three types of happiness are proposed: (A) wanting, approaching, and pleasure, (B) avoiding, departing, and relief, (C) non-wanting, staying, and satisfaction. Behind this is a sophisticated (neuro)biological dynamic, ranging from the search for autonomy and ecstasy, which is particularly characteristic of young people, to the way we cope with stress, as we find it pronounced in the middle-aged, to deep contentment, peace, and inner joy, as it is mainly attributed to older people. Paradoxically, it is in fact the elderly who appear to be the happiest and most content—this phenomenon is also known as the “satisfaction paradox”. Apparently, these dynamic changes in happiness can be amplified with practice. Happiness is biological in this context, but can still be “learned”. Contemplative practices can serve as an example here to demonstrate this trainability, and they may themselves influence the course of happiness. Abstract Background: Happiness is a feeling, an immediate experience, not a cognitive construct. It is based on activity in the brain’s neurobiological reward and motivation systems, which have been retained in evolution. This conceptual review provides an overview of the basic neurobiological principles behind happiness phenomena and proposes a framework for further classification. Results: Three neurobiologically distinct types of happiness exist: (A) wanting, (B) avoiding, and (C) non-wanting. Behind these types lies a dynamic gradation, ranging from the more youthful anticipation, pleasure and ecstasy (A), to stress processing, escape and relief (B) as we find them accentuated in the middle-aged, to deep satisfaction, quiescence and inner joy (C), which is particularly attributed to older people. As a result, the development of happiness and satisfaction over the course of life typically takes the form of a U-curve. Discussion: The outlined triad and dynamic of happiness leads to the paradoxical finding that the elderly seem to be the happiest—a phenomenon that is termed “satisfaction paradox”. This assumed change in happiness and contentment over the life span, which includes an increasing “emancipation” from the idea of good health as a mandatory prerequisite for happiness and contentment, can itself be changed—it is trainable. Conclusions: Programs for mindfulness, contemplation, or stress reduction, including positive psychology and mind–body/behavioral medicine training, seem to be capable of influencing the course happiness over time: Happiness can be shaped through practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Esch
- Institute for Integrative Health Care and Health Promotion, School of Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, 58455 Witten, Germany
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11
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Lorimer S, McCormack T, Jaroslawska AJ, Hoerl C, Beck SR, Johnston M, Feeney A. From Brexit to Biden: What Responses to National Outcomes Tell Us About the Nature of Relief. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PERSONALITY SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/19485506211066712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Recent claims contrast relief experienced because a period of unpleasant uncertainty has ended and an outcome has materialized (temporal relief)—regardless of whether it is one’s preferred outcome—with relief experienced because a particular outcome has occurred, when the alternative was unpalatable (counterfactual relief). Two studies ( N = 993), one run the day after the United Kingdom left the European Union and one the day after Joe Biden’s inauguration, confirmed these claims. “Leavers” and Biden voters experienced high levels of relief, and less regret and disappointment than “Remainers” and Trump voters. “Remainers” and Trump voters showed an effect of precursor, experiencing little relief about the outcome that had occurred but stronger relief that a decision had been implemented. Only Trump voters who believed the election was over showed this precursor effect. Results suggest at least two different triggering conditions for relief and indicate a role for anticipated relief in voting behavior.
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12
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The role of context in persistent avoidance and the predictive value of relief. Behav Res Ther 2021; 138:103816. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2021.103816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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13
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Michaelsen MM, Esch T. Motivation and reward mechanisms in health behavior change processes. Brain Res 2021; 1757:147309. [PMID: 33524377 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
With increasing prevalence of lifestyle-related chronic diseases worldwide, understanding health behavior change and the development of successful interventions to support lifestyle modification is gaining increasing interest among politicians, scientists, therapists and patients alike. A number of health behavior change theories have been developed aiming at explaining health behavior change and understanding the domains that make change more likely. Until now, only few studies have taken into account automatic, implicit or non-cognitive aspects of behavior, including emotion and positive affect. Recent progress in the neuroscience of motivation and reward systems can provide further insights into the relevance of such domains. In this integrative review, we present a description of the possible motivation and reward systems (approach/wanting = pleasure; aversion/avoiding = relief; assertion/non-wanting = quiescence) involved in behavior change. Therefore, based on established theories encompassing both initiation and maintenance of behavior change, we create a flexible seven-stage behavior change process with three engagement phases (non-engagement, motivational engagement, executive engagement) and relate the motivation and reward systems to each of these stages. We propose that either appetitive (preferably) or aversive motivational salience is activated during motivational engagement, that learning leads to continued behavior and that assertive salience prevails when the new behavior has become habitual. We discuss under which circumstances these mechanisms and reward-motivation pathways are likely to occur and address potential shortcomings of our proposed theoretical framework. We highlight implications for future interventions aiming at lifestyle modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maren M Michaelsen
- Institute for Integrative Health Care and Health Promotion, Witten/Herdecke University, Alfred-Herrhausen-Str. 44, 58455 Witten, Germany.
| | - Tobias Esch
- Institute for Integrative Health Care and Health Promotion, Witten/Herdecke University, Alfred-Herrhausen-Str. 44, 58455 Witten, Germany.
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14
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Willems AL, Vervliet B. When nothing matters: Assessing markers of expectancy violation during omissions of threat. Behav Res Ther 2021; 136:103764. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2020.103764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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15
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Abstract
Abstract. When gently stroked with velocities between 0.1 and 30
cm/s, participants typically rate velocities around 3 cm/s as most pleasant, and
the ratings follow an inverted u-shape. This pleasantness curve correlates
often, but not always, with the firing rate of unmyelinated C-tactile (CT)
afferents, leading to the notion that CT afferents code for the hedonic or
emotional aspect of gentle touch. However, there is also evidence that CT firing
does not necessarily equal pleasantness, and the range of attributes that CT
afferents code for is not known. Here, participants were stroked with different
velocities assumed to activate CT afferents to a different extent while they
rated the touch on several sensory and emotional attributes. We expected an
inverted u-shaped rating curve for pleasantness and other emotional attributes,
but not for sensory attributes. Inverted u-shaped rating patterns were found for
the emotional attributes “pleasant” and “not
burdensome,” but also for the sensory attribute “rough.”
CT-directed stimulation is thus not only experienced as hedonic. The sensations
arising from CTs together with all other types of mechanoreceptors might be
centrally integrated into a percept that represents those aspects which are most
salient for the stimulation at hand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uta Sailer
- Department of Behavioural Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway
| | - Marlene Hausmann
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Medical Faculty, Technical University of Dresden, Germany
| | - Ilona Croy
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Medical Faculty, Technical University of Dresden, Germany
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16
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San Martín C, Jacobs B, Vervliet B. Further characterization of relief dynamics in the conditioning and generalization of avoidance: Effects of distress tolerance and intolerance of uncertainty. Behav Res Ther 2020; 124:103526. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2019.103526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Revised: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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18
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Elston TW, Bilkey DK. Anterior Cingulate Cortex Modulation of the Ventral Tegmental Area in an Effort Task. Cell Rep 2018; 19:2220-2230. [PMID: 28614710 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.05.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2017] [Revised: 04/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Information gained during goal pursuit motivates adaptive behavior. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) supports adaptive behavior, but how ACC signals are translated into motivational signals remains unclear. Rats with implants in the ACC and ventral tegmental area (VTA), a dopaminergic brain area implicated in motivation, were trained to run laps around a rectangular track for a fixed reward, where each lap varied in physical effort (a 30-cm climbable barrier). Partial directed coherence analysis of local field potentials revealed that ACC theta (4-12 Hz) activity increased as rats entered the barrier-containing region of the maze in trials when the barrier was absent and predicted similar changes in VTA theta activity. This did not occur in effortful, barrier-present trials. These data suggest that the ACC provides a top-down modulating signal to the VTA that can influence the motivation with which to pursue a reward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W Elston
- Brain Health Research Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand; Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand.
| | - David K Bilkey
- Brain Health Research Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand; Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
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Vervliet B, Lange I, Milad MR. Temporal dynamics of relief in avoidance conditioning and fear extinction: Experimental validation and clinical relevance. Behav Res Ther 2017; 96:66-78. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2017.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2016] [Revised: 04/18/2017] [Accepted: 04/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Vlemincx E, Meulders M, Luminet O. A sigh of relief or a sigh of expected relief: Sigh rate in response to dyspnea relief. Psychophysiology 2017; 55. [PMID: 28792624 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2017] [Revised: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Research has suggested that sighs may serve a regulatory function during stress and emotions by facilitating relief. Evidence supports the hypotheses that sighs both express and induce relief from stress. To explore the potential role of sighs in the regulation of symptoms, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between sighs and relief of symptoms, and relief of dyspnea, specifically. Healthy volunteers participated in two studies (N = 44, N = 47) in which dyspnea was induced by mild (10 cmH2 O/l/s) or high (20 cmH2 0/l/s) inspiratory resistances. Dyspnea relief was induced by the offset of the inspiratory resistances (transitions from high and mild inspiratory resistance to no resistance). Control comparisons included dyspnea increases (transitions from no or mild inspiratory resistance to high inspiratory resistance) and dyspnea continuations (continuations of either no resistance or a high resistance). In Experiment 1, dyspnea levels were cued. In Experiment 2, no cues were provided. Sigh rate during dyspnea relief was significantly higher compared to control conditions, and sigh rate increased as self-reported dyspnea decreased. Additionally, sigh rate was higher during cued dyspnea relief compared to noncued dyspnea relief. These results suggest that sighs are important markers of dyspnea relief. Moreover, sighs may importantly express dyspnea relief, as they are related to experiential dyspnea decreases and occur more frequently during expected dyspnea relief. These findings suggest that sighs may not only be important in the regulation of stress and emotions, but also may be functional in the regulation of dyspnea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elke Vlemincx
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.,Research Group on Health Psychology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Michel Meulders
- Department of Informatics, Simulation and Modeling, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Research Group on Quantitative Psychology and Individual Differences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Olivier Luminet
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
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Approach-motivated positive affect reduces breadth of attention: Registered replication report of Gable and Harmon-Jones (2008). JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2015.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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