scholarly journals When Helping is Risky: Behavioral and Neurobiological Mechanisms of Prosocial Decisions Entailing Risk

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorg Gross ◽  
Nadira Sophie Faber ◽  
Andreas Kappes ◽  
Anne-Marie Nussberger ◽  
Philip Cowen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Preferences ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Risk Preferences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Risk Tolerance ◽  
Helping Others ◽  
Organ Donations ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Increases In Risk

Helping others can entail risks. Doctors that treat infectious patients may risk their own health, intervening in a fight can lead to injury, and organ donations can lead to medical complications. When helping others comes with a risk to oneself, decisions depend on the individual’s valuation of others’ well-being (social preferences) and the degree of personal risk the individual finds acceptable (risk preferences). Here we identify how these distinct preferences are behaviorally (Study 1, N=292) and neurobiologically (Study 2, N=154) integrated when helping is risky. We independently assessed social and risk preferences using incentivized behavioral tasks, and manipulated dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain by providing methylphenidate, atomoxetine, or placebo. Results reveal that social and risk preferences are independent driving forces of risky helping, and that methylphenidate-altered dopamine concentrations lead to more helping under risk because of increases in risk-tolerance rather than increased social preferences. Implications for decision-theory and drug use are discussed.

scholarly journals When Helping Is Risky: The Behavioral and Neurobiological Trade-off of Social and Risk Preferences

2021 ◽  
pp. 095679762110159
Author(s):  
Jörg Gross ◽  
Nadira S. Faber ◽  
Andreas Kappes ◽  
Anne-Marie Nussberger ◽  
Philip J. Cowen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Preferences ◽  
Risk Preferences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Acceptable Risk ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Personal Risk ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Medical Volunteers ◽  
The Brain

Helping other people can entail risks for the helper. For example, when treating infectious patients, medical volunteers risk their own health. In such situations, decisions to help should depend on the individual’s valuation of others’ well-being (social preferences) and the degree of personal risk the individual finds acceptable (risk preferences). We investigated how these distinct preferences are psychologically and neurobiologically integrated when helping is risky. We used incentivized decision-making tasks (Study 1; N = 292 adults) and manipulated dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain by administering methylphenidate, atomoxetine, or a placebo (Study 2; N = 154 adults). We found that social and risk preferences are independent drivers of risky helping. Methylphenidate increased risky helping by selectively altering risk preferences rather than social preferences. Atomoxetine influenced neither risk preferences nor social preferences and did not affect risky helping. This suggests that methylphenidate-altered dopamine concentrations affect helping decisions that entail a risk to the helper.

Vicissitudes of Emotions and Political Action During the Greek Crisis

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bettina Davou
Keyword(s):  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Traumatic Event ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Norms And Values ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain

Action readiness is considered a central property of emotions in most psychological theories. Emotions are the engine of behavior. They are the motivating, directing, prioritizing function of the brain, and impel to an immediate reaction to challenges and opportunities faced by the organism. Nevertheless, under sociopolitical malaise, emotions do not always lead to action. People leave in societies characterized by particular emotional cultures, climates, and atmospheres that set the background to what emotions are felt under which circumstances. The impact of an emotion depends on how relevant, that is, emotionally significant is the event for the individual; on the implications of the event for the person’s well-being and immediate or long-term goals; on the individual’s capacity to cope with or adjust to the consequences of the event; and on the significance of the event with respect to individual and collective self-concept and to social norms and values. Although emotions trigger action, events with high emotional intensity may mobilize defense mechanisms that distort facts, so that the event may appear distant or not concerning the individual personally. In such cases action is hindered because the meaning of the emotive event, although fully intellectually understood, does not have personal emotional reality. If the defense mechanisms prove inefficient or collapse, the event may be experienced as traumatic, that is, as a shocking occurrence that brings about a rupture in the continuity of existence, numbing of senses and mental faculties, and inability to think about what happened for periods that may last from days to years, although individuals and collectives may appear quite normal in carrying out everyday routines. Interpretative “emotion work” in formal or informal contexts may change emotions from immobilizing to mobilizing, or from destructive to constructive, as the traumatic event is being “worked through” and a cohesive narrative about it develops. But even then, action and in our case, political action, depends on the individual’s available repertoire—political efficacy and resilience—built up from past recoveries and a sense of support from social networks, and hope in assessing the costs and benefits from the harms brought by acting and the harms brought by non-acting.

scholarly journals Coupling brain cerebrovascular oscillations and CSF flow during wakefulness: An fMRI study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ho-Ching Shawn Yang ◽  
Ben Inglis ◽  
Tom M Talavage ◽  
Vidhya Vijayakrishnan Nair ◽  
Jinxia Fiona Yao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Driving Forces ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Nrem Sleep ◽  
Resting State Fmri ◽  
Csf Flow ◽  
Waste Products ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Brain

Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) plays an important role in the clearance of metabolic waste products from the brain, yet the driving forces of CSF flow are not fully understood. It is commonly believed that CSF flow is facilitated by the blood vessel wall movements (i.e., hemodynamic oscillations) in the brain. A coherent pattern of low frequency hemodynamic oscillations and CSF flow was found recently during non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM) sleep via functional MRI. However, questions remain regarding 1) the explanation of coupling between hemodynamic oscillations and CSF flow using fMRI signals; 2) the existence of the coupling during wakefulness; 3) the direction of CSF flow. In this resting state fMRI study, we proposed a mechanical model to explain the coupling between hemodynamics and CSF flow through the lens of fMRI. We found that the observed delays between these two signals match those predicted by the model. Moreover, by conducting separated fMRI scans of the brain and neck, we confirmed the low frequency CSF flow at the fourth ventricle is bidirectional. Our finding also demonstrates that CSF flow is facilitated by hemodynamic oscillations mainly in the low frequency range, even when the individual is awake.

scholarly journals Progesterone, progestins and psychosomatic health of women

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Bitzer
Keyword(s):  
Family Relationship ◽  
Anxiolytic Effect ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Antidepressant Effect ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Specific Symptom ◽  
Psychosomatic Health ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Brain

AbstractPsychosomatics as a medical perspective and discipline focuses on the interaction of physical and mental health in the specific life situation of a patient, taking into account the physical and emotional well-being, role functioning, satisfaction with the partner and family relationship, as well as sexual function and satisfaction. There are two important effects of progesterone on the combined physical, mental and sexual well-being of the climacteric patient. The first is the antiestrogenic effect of progesterone on the peripheral physical level which not only protects the endometrium against overstimulation but also reduces individual suffering from heavy bleeding, breast tension, bloating and general discomfort. The second effect is due to the complex action of progesterone in the brain. Studies using different progestins in different dosages and in different regimens show contradictory results. Some studies demonstrate an increase in depressed mood and reduced well-being while using synthetic progestins. Other studies, however, indicate an anxiolytic and sometimes antidepressant effect of progesterone and progesterone-like progestins with an improvement of emotional well-being and quality of life. In the individual patient, the positive or negative emotional and mental state can be conditioned by various pathways of progesterone and progestins. The antiestrogenic effect can attenuate the psychotropic effect of estradiol (E2) on the brain, thus reducing emotional well-being. Progesterone interacting with many brain areas can have a mood stabilizing and anxiolytic effect through the action on the GABA receptor. This effect seems to be strongest when using natural progesterone and the effect varies considerably among different progestins and different dosages due to metabolic pathways involving the production of allopregnanolone or other metabolites. In conclusion, the positive anxiolytic and sedative effects of progesterone on the central nervous system depend on the type of progestogen, the dosage, the timing of application, the combination with estrogen, etc. Progesterone and progestins have important potential to maintain or improve the psychosomatic health of women. Their use must, however, be tailored to specific symptom clusters and to the individual's pre-existing psychosomatic health status.

scholarly journals Functional brain network topology across the menstrual cycle is sex hormone dependent and correlates with the individual well-being

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianna Liparoti ◽  
Emahnuel Troisi Lopez ◽  
Laura Sarno ◽  
Rosaria Rucco ◽  
Roberta Minino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Affective State ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Functional Brain Network ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Brain

AbstractThe menstrual cycle is known to influence the behaviour. The neuronal bases of this phenomenon are poorly understood. We hypothesized that hormones, might affect the large-scale organization of the brain functional networks and that, in turn, such changes might have behavioural correlates in terms of the affective state. To test our hypothesis, we took advantage of magnetoencephalography to investigate brain topology in early follicular, ovulatory and luteal phases, in twenty-four naturally-cycling women without signs of anxiety and/or depression. We show that in the alpha band the betweenness centrality (BC) of the right posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG) during the ovulatory phase is increased and the rise is predicted by the levels of estradiol. We also demonstrate that the increase in the BC is related to improved subjective well-being that, in turn, is correlated to the estradiol levels. The increased topological centrality of the PCG during the ovulatory phase could have implications in reproductive psychology.

Fit Vs Faint: Assessing Work Causation in “Idiopathic Fall” Cases

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 3-12
Author(s):  
Lorne Direnfeld ◽  
David B. Torrey ◽  
Jim Black ◽  
LuAnn Haley ◽  
Christopher R. Brigham
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Electrical Activity ◽  
Loss Of Consciousness ◽  
Brain Electrical Activity ◽  
Medical Terminology ◽  
Scientific Analysis ◽  
Medical Causation ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Current Science

Abstract When an individual falls due to a nonwork-related episode of dizziness, hits their head and sustains injury, do workers’ compensation laws consider such injuries to be compensable? Bearing in mind that each state makes its own laws, the answer depends on what caused the loss of consciousness, and the second asks specifically what happened in the fall that caused the injury? The first question speaks to medical causation, which applies scientific analysis to determine the cause of the problem. The second question addresses legal causation: Under what factual circumstances are injuries of this type potentially covered under the law? Much nuance attends this analysis. The authors discuss idiopathic falls, which in this context means “unique to the individual” as opposed to “of unknown cause,” which is the familiar medical terminology. The article presents three detailed case studies that describe falls that had their genesis in episodes of loss of consciousness, followed by analyses by lawyer or judge authors who address the issue of compensability, including three scenarios from Arizona, California, and Pennsylvania. A medical (scientific) analysis must be thorough and must determine the facts regarding the fall and what occurred: Was the fall due to a fit (eg, a seizure with loss of consciousness attributable to anormal brain electrical activity) or a faint (eg, loss of consciousness attributable to a decrease in blood flow to the brain? The evaluator should be able to fully explain the basis for the conclusions, including references to current science.

Engaged Study of the Qur'an: Gauging its Effect on the Life of the Individual and of Society

2003 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 202-207
Author(s):  
Ruqayya Ṭā Hā Jābir al-cUlwānī
Keyword(s):  
Social Conflict ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Functional Perspective ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Social Advancement ◽  
Freedom Of Thought ◽  
The Individual

An engaged and perceptive contemplation of the Qur'an forms one of the most important bases for the cultural and social advancement of Muslims in all walks of life, and the absence of such study is one of the reasons behind the general cultural attenuation in the modern world. Reflection is one of the means of the construction and formation of a civilised society. The applied faculty of intellect creates an environment which allows reflective and considered thought to be developed from a functional perspective for the general well-being of society. Meanwhile the effective neglect of such study leads to the proliferation of superstition, dissent and social conflict. Indeed it can even be argued that it diminishes the significance of the laws and conventions which serve as the backbone of society. This paper reveals a number of factors which can impede the achievement of such an engaged study of the text: thus, for instance, thoughtless obedience to societal conventions; shortcomings in educational systems and syllabi; and a failure to encompass the significance of the Arabic language. Furthermore this paper presents several effective suggestions for nurturing students' potential, encouraging an environment which allows freedom of thought, and its refinement.

The Chemical Effect in Medicine Interaction Determining the Form and Speed of Psychical Involution in the Prosthetic Restauration in the Edentulous

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 2306-2310
Author(s):  
Aureliana Caraiane ◽  
Razvan Leata ◽  
Veronica Toba ◽  
Doina Vesa ◽  
Luana Andreea Macovei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Practical Importance ◽  
Psychosocial Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Chemical Effect ◽  
Special Importance ◽  
Dramatic Form ◽  
Specific Disorders ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Made In

The progress made in dentistry during the latest decades is due, conceptually, to the new, systemic vision of man, which has also taken place in this field of medicine. In this context, the link between organic and psychic is indestructible. Thus illness is understood as a drama in which the somatic process has a psychic value, and the mental one has a body value. It is known that the morphological and functional integrity of the dental system, health and vigorousness, gives the individual a state of well-being that affects his somatic and psychic health, as any disturbance at this level entails repercussions in psychological and social behavior. Such a disruption is the total edification that seriously alters not only the dental system but the whole organism, putting various biological and psychosocial problems to the practitioner. The total expression represents not only a physical disability but also a psychological one. A special importance in studying psychological changes at total edentulous presents the psychological aspects of senile involution. This is not only a theoretical but also a practical importance due to the increase in the number of elderly people. Through the researches of the present paper we intend to present the reality of the psychological manifestations in the total edentation, which is objectified on different methods of psychodiagnosis in the first part, in order for the second part to be addressed to problems of prosthetic psychotherapy.The study comprises a group of 43 patients, of whom 24 were men and 19 women with total uni or bimaxilar edentation. Total edentation can be and is responsible for somatopsychic alterations, along with other pathogens, general, local, social, which sometimes can take a dramatic form, converting, where the area is also favorable, a pure somatic disease, for those who are not in psychopathy or even psychosis, although these latter cases are extremely rare and especially in youngsters, which would disrupt not only the person�s behavior as an individual, but also their status, function and social integrity. The treatment of dental and psychological complex is mandatory for any patient, but especially for the elderly, where recovery is more difficult, with disease-specific disorders adding to those of senescence.

Temporal Focus

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abbie J. Shipp
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Psychology Research ◽  
The Past ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
The Future ◽  
Behavior Based ◽  
The Individual ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Temporal Focus

Temporal focus is the individual tendency to characteristically think more or less about the past, present, and future. Although originally rooted in early work from psychology, research on temporal focus has been steadily growing in a number of research areas, particularly since Zimbardo and Boyd’s (1999) influential article on the topic. This chapter will review temporal focus research from the past to the present, including how temporal focus has been conceptualized and measured, and which correlates and outcomes have been tested in terms of well-being and behavior. Based on this review, an agenda for research is created to direct temporal focus research in the future.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document