We all know about the need for healthy lifestyle choices, but fear of negative consequences may not be sufficient to change our behavior, researchers say. “With health messages, it’s not enough just to tell people, or merely educate them, you need to motivate them, and emotions are really good motivators,” said Jessica Myrick, associate professor… Continue reading Messages About Healthy Lifestyle Changes Need to Focus on Hope as Well as Fear
Tag: fear
How Fear Can Influence Treatment for Chronic Pain
A leading psychology professor at The University of Texas at Arlington has focused international attention on how a chronic pain patient’s irrational doubts about never getting better can influence both his reactions to pain and even treatment outcomes. Chronic pain costs the U.S. up to $635 billion each year in medical treatment and lost productivity,… Continue reading How Fear Can Influence Treatment for Chronic Pain
Creative People Fear Death Less than Others
Creative people with high levels of ambition and achievement are less likely to fear death than other people with lower creativity levels, according to new research from the UK. The study was conducted by Rotem Perach, a postgraduate researcher at the University of Kent’s School of Psychology, under the supervision of Dr Arnaud Wisman, shows… Continue reading Creative People Fear Death Less than Others
Reconditioning the Brain to Overcome Fear
Fear-related disorders affect around one in 14 people and place considerable pressure on mental health services. Currently, a common approach is for patients to undergo some form of aversion therapy, in which they confront their fear by being exposed to it in the hope they will learn that the thing they fear isn’t harmful after… Continue reading Reconditioning the Brain to Overcome Fear
Overcoming Barriers to Treating Fear and Anxiety
A misunderstanding of how the certain parts of the brain function has hampered the creation of pharmaceuticals to effectively address fear and anxiety disorders, according to a paper published in September 2016 in the American Journal of Psychiatry. The researchers’ analysis also offers new insights into neurological processes, with the aim of overcoming existing barriers… Continue reading Overcoming Barriers to Treating Fear and Anxiety
How to Live Like Your Ego Is Not Your Amigo
Human beings are capable of a rich inner life that, sadly, seems to elude so many, says dating and life coach Deborah Downey. “I doubt that most of us fully realize just how much worry, doubt and fear we experience on a daily basis; it seems to me that acknowledging this default setting and finding… Continue reading How to Live Like Your Ego Is Not Your Amigo
The Brain’s Dilemma: Fear or Reward?
When it comes to learning tricky tasks, it seems we’re motivated more by avoiding punishment than by getting a reward. The discovery indicates that circuits in the frontal cortex of the brain, which calculate the degree of conflict, effort and difficulty of actions, are connected with another part of the brain that govern perceptions of… Continue reading The Brain’s Dilemma: Fear or Reward?
Handling Paranoia and Delusions in Alzheimer’s Patients
From the National Institute on Aging As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, the person with the disease may have hallucinations, delusions, or paranoia. During a hallucination, the person sees, hears, smells, tastes, or feels something that isn’t there. He or she also may have delusions—false beliefs that the person thinks are real. Paranoia is a type of… Continue reading Handling Paranoia and Delusions in Alzheimer’s Patients