How to train your brain to avoid negative feelings

A new study from the Israeli Ben-Gurion University of Negev (BGU), where researchers with MRI scans have found that the ability to differentiate between relevant and irrelevant information reduces negative feelings.

"These results are the first to show that non-emotional training that improves the ability to ignore irrelevant information can result in reduced brain responses to emotional events and change the brain's relationships," says Dr. Noga Cohen.

"These changes were accompanied by enhanced neural connections between brain regions that are involved in inhibiting emotional responses."

In the study, the brain of 26 healthy volunteers was monitored before and after multiple computer tests using functional magnetic resonance (MRI). During the test, the participants had to give up if the center of five arrows pointed to the right or left and ignore the direction of the arrows on each side of it.

The researchers conducted a control MRI scan to assess brain area relationships without any specific task. They also did a MRI scan that would assess participants' emotional responses to see how easy they were to ignore negative images.

"As expected, participants who implemented the more intense version of the training (but not the other participants) showed reduced activation in their amygdala - a brain region involved in negative emotions, including sadness and anxiety.

In addition, intensive training resulted in increased connectivity between the participants' amygdala and a region in the frontal cortex that has been shown to be involved in emotional regulation, "said Dr. Cohen, who co-operated with Dr. Hadas Okon-Singer of the University of Haifa and Max Planck Institute of Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Germany.

"It is our hope that our work will lead to further testing and potentially the development of effective interventions for people suffering from inappropriate emotional behavior," says Dr. Cohen.

The researchers hope to investigate the impact of this non-emotional exercise on people who are depressed or angry.

It may also be useful for those at risk of developing high blood pressure in response to stressful events or information.

"Although the study is limited by the fact that it was based on a relatively small number of healthy participants and focused on short-term effects of exercise, this can prove to be an effective method for people with dysregulated feelings."

A previous study conducted by these writers has already shown that similar training can reduce the tendency to get stuck in a cycle of repeated thoughts of a negative experience.