Futurity.org » motivation

Triggers differ for addicted men, women

Bill Hathaway-Yale — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:54:24 +0000

YALE (US) — The areas of the brain associated with craving have different triggers in cocaine-dependent men and women, a finding that suggests they may benefit from different treatment options.

A study published online in the American Journal of Psychiatry, shows addicted women’s brains are activated by stress—and men’s are activated by drug cues.

To perform better, focus on ‘we’ not ‘me’

Jason Cody-Michigan State — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:05:42 +0000

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Individuals perform better and are more confident when they focus on the power of “we.”

The findings, published in the Journal of Sports Sciences, show that simply changing “I” to “we” in motivational self-talk—the internal talk one does in getting ready for performance—has a significant impact on an individual’s—and thus a group’s—performance.

Veronica Son, a doctoral student in kinesiology at Michigan State University and lead author of the study, says most of the research on “self-talk” examined the effect of building up an individual’s confidence.

Why we quit when others succeed

Chris Privett-Duke — Mon, 23 May 2011 16:18:19 +0000

DUKE (US) — Seeing someone reach a goal or complete a task should inspire us to match that success, however new research indicates it can actually reduce our motivation.

“Our findings have important functional implications for the workplace,” says Grainne Fitzsimons of Duke University, co-author of the study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. “In staff meetings, employees may mistake a discussion of what needs to be done for actual progress toward a goal. Similarly, one employee’s success might actually de-motivate others to work hard.

Negotiators should keep their distance

Tim Green-U. Texas — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:30:43 +0000

U. TEXAS-AUSTIN (US) — The key to successful negotiations may hinge on keeping the parties involved far away from each other.

While many studies have examined the consequences of different forms of non-face-to-face communication, little research has investigated the effects physical distance can have on such negotiations.

To win, brain says ‘show me the money’

Tony Fitzpatrick-WUSTL — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:58:55 +0000

WASHINGTON U.-ST. LOUIS (US)—When there’s money on the table, some people always find a way to win. New research suggests that a specific brain area helps “money players” use the prospect of success to better prepare their thoughts and actions—and increase the odds of winning reward.

The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, identified a brain region about two inches above the left eyebrow that sprang into action whenever study participants were shown a dollar sign—a predetermined cue that a correct answer on the task at hand would result in a financial reward.

For teens, taking risks comes naturally

Tim Green-U. Texas — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 19:01:24 +0000

U. TEXAS-AUSTIN (US)—Biology may be to blame when it comes to adolescents making stereotypically poor decisions and engaging in risky behavior.

“Risky behaviors, such as experimenting with drugs or having unsafe sex, are actually driven by over activity in the mesolimbic dopamine system, a system which appears to be the final pathway to all addictions in the adolescent brain,” says Russell Poldrack, professor of psychology and neurobiology at University of Texas, Austin.

Learning powered by search engines

A'ndrea Elyse Messer-Penn State — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:20:38 +0000

Jim Jansen says the results of this study provide useful information about how search engine use has evolved over the past decade and clues about how to design better search engines to address users’ learning needs in the future. “Our results suggest the view of Web searchers having simple information needs may be incorrect.”

PENN STATE (US)—Using Internet search engines is no longer just a daily convenience, but has evolved to become part of the learning process as well, according to new research.

“Our results suggest the view of Web searchers having simple information needs may be incorrect,” explains Jim Jansen, associate professor of information sciences and technology at Penn State. “Instead, we discovered that users applied simple searching expressions to support their higher-level information needs.”

Choice empowers breast cancer patients

Sara Saldi-UB — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:00:07 +0000

“This research provides insight into what women newly diagnosed with breast cancer may do, think about, and expect even before they see the surgeon at the clinic for the first time,” says Robin Lally.

U. BUFFALO (US)—Women who are diagnosed with breast cancer consider being able to make their own decision about treatment an encouraging sign of future survival, a new study finds.

Monkey brain signals mental wanderlust

Futurity-Jenny Leonard — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:21:30 +0000

Researchers looked at how nerve cells fired in a part of the brain known as the posterior cingulate cortex when the monkeys were offered a selection of rewards. When the monkeys decided to explore new alternatives, the neurons, for the most part, fired more strongly. (Credit: Muhammad Mahdi Karim)

DUKE (US)—Knowing when to stay with what’s familiar or when to search for something new can be tricky, especially for those with conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Using brain scans, researchers are able to predict when monkeys will switch from exploiting a known resource to exploring their options.

“Humans aren’t the only animals who wonder if the grass is greener elsewhere, but it’s hard to abandon what we know in hopes of finding something better,” explains John Pearson, research associate of neurobiology at Duke University and the study’s lead author.

Love’s not the only reason women have sex

Futurity-Jenny Leonard — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:38:49 +0000

“We knew motivations for sex were more complex than what had previously been talked about in the literature—having a baby, love, and physical pleasure,” Cindy Meston says. “But we were still astonished by the amazing diversity of sexual motivations—from curing a headache to feeling closer to God to getting their partners to take out the trash.”

TEXAS-AUSTIN (US)—Challenging the idea that women’s sexual motivations are tied exclusively to romantic emotions or reproduction, a new study finds woman are motivated by a wide array of reasons—from boredom to altruism to revenge.

“Understanding why women have sex is extremely important, but rarely studied,” David Buss, evolutionary psychology professor at the University of Texas at Austin. “One thing that’s interesting about our study is that it goes against the stereotype that men desire sex for pleasure while women have sex only for love or commitment.”