New Delhi: Mixed emotions have been found to be real, a study has revealed unique brain activity when experiencing them.
The experience of two or more conflicting emotions may explain mixed emotions.
When monitoring people's brains while watching the animated short film 'One Small Step', researchers observed an increased activity in their amygdala, which helps process emotions, and the nucleus accumbens, which plays a role in pleasurable experiences. Is.
Researchers at the University of Southern California, US, found that this activity was different from that seen when people experienced a purely positive or negative emotion.
“Not only did we find brain activity that was related to mixed emotions, but we found that it remained stable over time.You're not ping-ponging between negative and positive. It's a very unique, mixed feeling over a long period of time," said Anthony Vaccaro, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Southern California and lead author of the study published in the journal Cerebral Cortex.
It is often believed that emotions only exist from negative to positive.
However, even though mixed emotions are a common experience, they have yet to be understood scientifically, according to researchers.This may be because it is easier to study one emotion at a time, he said.
As part of the study, participants' brain activity was being monitored using MRI as they watched an animated film for the first time. Participants then watched the movie again without the MRI and indicated when they experienced positive, negative, or mixed emotions.
The researchers then compared these reports with MRI imaging results.
They also found that they could predict when a person was about to change emotions.The authors said that particular areas of the brain, such as the insular cortex (involved in perceiving and experiencing compassion and empathy) displayed significant changes as participants reported an emotional change.
“It takes a certain sophistication to sit with mixed emotions and allow yourself to feel positive and negative at the same time.
"Looking into this more, discovering within yourself the benefits of being able to accept positivity and negativity at the same time, is something that We think that's worth studying." of Southern California, said.
The experience of two or more conflicting emotions may explain mixed emotions.
When monitoring people's brains while watching the animated short film 'One Small Step', researchers observed an increased activity in their amygdala, which helps process emotions, and the nucleus accumbens, which plays a role in pleasurable experiences. Is.
Researchers at the University of Southern California, US, found that this activity was different from that seen when people experienced a purely positive or negative emotion.
“Not only did we find brain activity that was related to mixed emotions, but we found that it remained stable over time.You're not ping-ponging between negative and positive. It's a very unique, mixed feeling over a long period of time," said Anthony Vaccaro, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Southern California and lead author of the study published in the journal Cerebral Cortex.
It is often believed that emotions only exist from negative to positive.
However, even though mixed emotions are a common experience, they have yet to be understood scientifically, according to researchers.This may be because it is easier to study one emotion at a time, he said.
As part of the study, participants' brain activity was being monitored using MRI as they watched an animated film for the first time. Participants then watched the movie again without the MRI and indicated when they experienced positive, negative, or mixed emotions.
The researchers then compared these reports with MRI imaging results.
They also found that they could predict when a person was about to change emotions.The authors said that particular areas of the brain, such as the insular cortex (involved in perceiving and experiencing compassion and empathy) displayed significant changes as participants reported an emotional change.
“It takes a certain sophistication to sit with mixed emotions and allow yourself to feel positive and negative at the same time.
"Looking into this more, discovering within yourself the benefits of being able to accept positivity and negativity at the same time, is something that We think that's worth studying." of Southern California, said.
