134 Questions
Which group of hospital cleaners was happier?
Group B
What did Group A hospital cleaners primarily view their work as?
Boring and meaningless
How did Group B hospital cleaners engage with others compared to Group A?
Engaged in more interactions with nurses, patients, and their visitors
What did Ben-Shahar suggest about reframing work and education?
Reframe work and education as a privilege rather than as a duty
What is necessary in order to be happy, according to the text?
Experiencing positive emotions and recognizing them as such
What was the key difference between Group A and Group B hospital cleaners?
The way they viewed their work
What did Group B hospital cleaners view their work as?
Contributing to the patients’ well-being and smooth functioning of the hospital
What did Group B hospital cleaners take it upon themselves to do?
Make the patients and hospital staff feel better
What did the study on hospital cleaners reveal about the happiness of Group B compared to doctors?
Group B hospital cleaners were happier than doctors
What is the significance of reframing work and education, according to Ben-Shahar?
It is necessary for happiness
What is one of the reasons for inconsistent results in neuroimaging studies on biomarkers for depression treatment response and recurrence?
Small sample size
What was the outcome of reactivating cells in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus that encoded the memory engram in mice with depression-like symptoms?
Symptoms improved dramatically
What did the follow-up study involving reactivation of pleasant memories in mice reveal?
Mice behaved like mice that had never been depressed
What is a challenge associated with the use of optogenetics in humans?
Highly invasive procedure for genetic engineering
What did the review article hypothesize as a reason for inconsistent results in neuroimaging studies?
Differences in imaging and analysis techniques
What is a potential alternative to the implantation of a light fiber for optogenetic stimulation?
Light stimulation via the aural canal
What was the outcome of allowing depressed mice to engage in pleasurable experiences?
Symptoms did not improve as much as reactivating an old memory
What is a limitation of using optogenetics in humans?
Cells need to be genetically engineered to produce opsins
What is a potential challenge associated with the use of optogenetics in humans?
Implantation of a light fiber with an adaptor
What was the outcome of reactivating pleasant memories in mice after they had become depressed?
Mice behaved like mice that had never been depressed
What did Angela Duckworth's research identify as the single most important trait for success?
Grit
What is the Grit Scale primarily based on?
Self report
According to Shawn Achor, what percentage of long-term happiness can be predicted based on a person's external world?
10%
What is the main focus of realizing goals, as mentioned in the text?
Improving external circumstances
How should affirmations be phrased?
In the present tense and positively
What is the recommended approach regarding telling others about your goals, as per the text?
It's best not to tell anyone to build up energetic charge
What did the research indicate about being overly realistic, as mentioned in the text?
Being overly realistic is not necessarily healthy
What is the significance of secrecy, according to the text?
There is power in secrecy
What did the note card exercise involve, as per the text?
Identifying a goal, finding a word, and placing it in prominent places
What did the text suggest about the phrase 'I no longer oversleep in the morning'?
It should be phrased more positively
What did the text say about the phrase 'Don’t say, “I no longer oversleep in the morning”'?
It should be phrased more positively
What did the text say about the power of visualization/affirmations?
Some may argue that they are not 'realistic'
What did Duckworth argue about the predictive power of grit and Big Five personality traits?
Grit predicts academic performance better than Big Five personality traits
How is grit measured compared to Big Five personality traits?
Grit can be measured by a simple 12-item questionnaire, while Big Five assessment requires lengthier surveys
What did follow-up studies reveal about the benefits of grit?
The benefits of grit derive more from perseverance than consistency of interest
Which brain regions are related to grit and self-control?
Prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex
What did a study on neuroanatomical correlates of grit in adolescents find about left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex volume?
Negative association between grit and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex volume
What serves as a mediator in the association between left dlPFC volume and grit?
Growth mindset
What did grit scores show a negative relationship with in the right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex in adolescents?
fALFF
What role does fALFF of the right dmPFC play in the association between grit and academic performance?
Mediating role
What is required for grit according to the text?
Having clear goals and working really hard to achieve them
What is pursuit of intrinsic goals associated with?
Better psychological outcomes
What are goals meant to enhance?
Our enjoyment of the journey, not just achieving the goal itself
What does goal setting involve according to the text?
Writing down specific goals, picking the most important one, and listing actions to achieve it
What was found to be a more accurate predictor of cadet survival at West Point?
The 12-item grit questionnaire developed by Duckworth
What does the grit questionnaire assess?
Traits like overcoming setbacks, maintaining focus, and achieving long-term goals
What did the marshmallow test predict in 4-year-olds?
Later success in academics and life
What did the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study find that preschool self-control predicts?
Income level and crime record
What has been found to outdo intelligence test scores in predicting future academic and life success?
Grit questionnaire scores
What did people with better self-control establish according to the text?
Better habits and enjoy activities resisted by others
What is self-control largely about according to the text?
Focus of attention
What was found to be twice as powerful a predictor of later SAT scores as IQ at age four?
The marshmallow test
What did follow-up studies show a significant correlation between?
Marshmallow test performance and later academic achievement
What do people with better self-control enjoy according to the text?
Activities resisted by others
What did the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study find that self-control predicts?
Life satisfaction and crime record
What did the marshmallow challenge test in 4-year-olds predict?
Later success in academics and life
What is the likely mechanism through which visualization works?
Strengthening optimism, persistence, and effectiveness
What is the effect of imagining one's 'best possible future self' for 20 minutes a day over 4 days?
Increase in positive affect and future expectancies
What enhances the effectiveness of mental practice?
The task being easy or well-practiced
What is the key to effective imagery rehearsal?
Engaging all the senses and focusing on the feelings evoked
In what way does visualization differ for experienced performers and beginners?
Experienced performers benefit more from imagery rehearsal
What is the potential impact of visualization on academic achievement?
Middle school students from financially struggling families are more likely to earn high grades
How does writing about the 'best possible future self' affect individuals?
Prompts individuals to organize, integrate, and analyze their thoughts
In which therapy is visualization often used in conjunction with affirmations?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
What is the evidence-based support for the use of visualization and imagery rehearsal?
Empirical support in various fields including sports, surgery, and academic achievement
What is the role of relaxation before practice in visualization/imagery rehearsal?
It is important for effective visualization/imagery rehearsal
What is the impact of the 'best possible future self' intervention?
Increase in positive affect and future expectancies
What is the impact of visualization on Olympic athletes?
It is a standard part of training for Olympic athletes
What was the impact of spending time in natural settings on kids with ADHD, according to the text?
It reduced symptoms significantly more than activities in built outdoor and indoor settings
What was the immediate and long-lasting effect of moving to greener areas, as per the British Household Panel Survey study?
Immediate improvement in mental health and long-lasting effect maintaining its effects even 3 years post-move
What task did participants perform better on after walking in nature, according to the text?
Memory recall task
What did the study on the impact of nature scenes versus urban areas show about the performance of the Nature Scene group on a directed attention task?
Improved performance on Attention Network Task
What was the primary focus of the recommended 'Walk in Nature' activity?
Focusing on connecting with one's own body and the world around
What did the long-term study on people who moved to greener areas reveal about mental health improvement?
Mental health improved immediately and maintained its effects even 3 years post-move
What did the study on locus of control and self-esteem find?
Those with external locus of control had lower self-esteem generally
What did the VBM analyses reveal about internal locus of control?
It is positively correlated with gray matter volume in the anterior cingulate cortex, striatum, and anterior insula
What is the impact of becoming totally dependent on validation and approval from the outside world?
It has a negative impact on self-esteem and mental health
What did the study find about people with internal locus of control?
They are perceived more positively by others when they take responsibility for mistakes
What did the research indicate about the impact of social media on people's focus?
It encourages people to focus more on what other people think of them
What was the outcome of the study on self-esteem and feedback expectation?
Participants' self-esteem took a hit when they received negative feedback from a group they expected positive feedback from
What did the study find about the impact of locus of control on health?
Those with internal locus of control enjoy better health
What did the study reveal about the perception of locus of control in relation to fate?
Internal locus of control perceives that one controls one’s own fate
What did the research indicate about the correlation between locus of control and academic/work achievement?
Those with internal locus of control achieve more in school and work
What did the study reveal about the impact of locus of control on independence?
Those with internal locus of control act more independently
What did the follow-up study involve?
Playing neutral, pleasant, or disturbing sounds to participants
What did the results of the follow-up study reveal about novice meditators?
Reduction in activity in attention regions and increase in activity in regions associated with unrelated thoughts
What did the results of the follow-up study reveal about expert meditators?
They showed no increase in distraction-related regions
What did Davidson find about the level of activity in the prefrontal cortex?
People differ by a factor of thirty in the level of activity in their prefrontal cortex
What did the above studies suggest about meditation training?
It can enhance the ability of the prefrontal cortex to boost signals it wants to attend to and attenuates signals it wants to ignore
Why is the ability to focus attention considered important?
It provides the building blocks for other components of happiness, such as the ability to sustain a positive outlook
What did the study by Davidson suggest about the prefrontal cortex?
It can be trained
What did the text suggest about the relationship between attention and happiness?
The ability to focus attention provides the building blocks for other components of happiness
What did the text indicate about the impact of meditation training on emotional reactivity?
Advanced levels of concentration can keep emotional reactivity in check
What did the study by Davidson suggest about the brain’s attention systems?
They can be trained
What is the primary focus of the Center for the Science of Psychedelics at UCB?
Investigating cognition, perception, emotion, and their biological bases in the human brain
Which psychological disorders are being targeted for treatment using hallucinogens like MDMA and LSD?
Depression, PTSD, and emotional suffering associated with terminal illness
What is the initial focus of the center's studies on psychedelics?
Psilocybin
What is the Center for the Science of Psychedelics planning to investigate the ability of these compounds to improve?
All of the above
What is the main goal of integrating psychedelics with psychotherapy according to the center?
To treat psychological disorders
What is the focus of the UCB's Center for the Science of Psychedelics?
Investigating the biological bases of cognition, perception, and emotion in the human brain
What is the UCB's Center for the Science of Psychedelics planning to collaborate with the Graduate Theological Union for?
Training facilitators in spiritual care dimensions of psychedelics
What is the UCB's Center for the Science of Psychedelics aiming to investigate the ability of these compounds to alter?
All of the above
What is the UCB's Center for the Science of Psychedelics planning to investigate the integration of psychedelics with?
Psychotherapy
What is the UCB's Center for the Science of Psychedelics aiming to investigate the cultural, contemplative, and spiritual care dimensions of?
Psychedelics
What did Richard Davidson's EEG studies find about meditation practice?
Increased left prefrontal activity
What did the research reveal about the elderly Tibetan monk in Richard Davidson's study?
Greater predominance of activity in the left prefrontal cortex
What is the association between left prefrontal activity and positive outlook?
Positive outlook and feelings of happiness
What type of meditation traditions have practices that focus on helping practitioners to drop into the heart center?
Virtually all meditation traditions
What did the studies on long-term meditators provide confirmatory evidence of?
Increased left prefrontal cortical activity
What was the level of left prefrontal cortical activity in the meditation adept, Matthieu Ricard?
4.5 standard deviations outside
What did the Western neuroscientists find strange when they went to Tibet?
Monks thought it very strange that the scientists thought the seat of compassion was in the head
What did the monks find strange about the scientists' belief regarding compassion?
The seat of compassion was in the head
What did the monks believe was the longest journey a man must take?
The eighteen inches from his head to his heart
What is the focus of virtually all meditation traditions' practices?
Helping practitioners to drop into the heart center
What did the neuroimaging study on affective response to suffering reveal?
Care response was associated with activation of ventral striatum and medial orbitofrontal cortex
What did the research on compassion meditation and reappraisal techniques show?
Compassion meditation increased positive affect, while reappraisal decreased negative affect
What did the study on long-term meditation practitioners reveal about compassion meditation?
Compassion meditation increased activation in regions involved in positive affect and reward processing
What was the impact of short-term compassion training in the study involving lovingkindness meditation (LKM)?
Short-term compassion training increased positive affect when shown images of people suffering
What did the research indicate about the impact of practicing kindness?
Practicing kindness makes people happier
What was the association between empathic care or empathic distress and donation behavior in the study?
Activity levels in the associated brain regions for either empathic care or empathic distress predicted donation behavior
What did the study on the impact of images of suffering reveal about positive affect?
Images of suffering elicited positive affect
What did the review article hypothesize as a reason for inconsistent results in neuroimaging studies?
The review article hypothesized that inconsistent results are due to the influence of participant's mood on brain activity
What did the study on the impact of locus of control on independence reveal?
The study revealed that internal locus of control was associated with greater independence
What did the research on the impact of social media on people's focus indicate?
The research indicated that social media selectively impacted different aspects of people's focus
What is the assumption underlying yogic practices, according to the text?
There is a body-energy-mind dimension in each of us
What does the right energy pathway represent in some meditative traditions?
Male element
How might EMDR work from a neuropsychological standpoint, according to the text?
Through 'broaden-and-build' where increased activation of disparate regions of the brain may broaden the scope of one’s thinking
What is the main goal of somatic therapies like bioenergetics and EMDR, according to the text?
To help clients reconnect with frozen emotions in the body
When would mindfulness therapy be considered inappropriate, according to the text?
Client has negative associations with meditation for religious/spiritual reasons
What is the initial step in conducting mindfulness therapy, as per the text?
Start with a clinical interview
What is the role of attention in mindfulness therapy, according to the text?
Directed attention towards different body parts can lead to different emotional experiences
Why might mindfulness therapy be inappropriate, as per the text?
It might threaten the therapeutic alliance because the client needs a more conversational approach
What is the main emphasis of somatic therapies like bioenergetics and EMDR, as mentioned in the text?
Reconnecting with frozen emotions in the body
What is the significance of the three main energy pathways in some meditative traditions, according to the text?
Optimal functioning requires a balanced flow of energy through these channels
Study Notes
Visualization and Imagery Rehearsal for Goal Achievement
- Visualization and imagery rehearsal can be used to assist in realizing goals, with empirical support for its effectiveness in various fields including sports, surgery, and academic achievement.
- The same neurological circuits and mechanisms are activated during imagery rehearsal as during physical practice, with visual imagery activating similar brain regions as visual perception.
- Visualization likely works by strengthening optimism, persistence, and effectiveness, and is used in evidence-based psychotherapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Stress Inoculation Therapy.
- Factors influencing the effectiveness of visualization/imagery rehearsal include the need for multisensory engagement, relaxation before practice, and the importance of making the sensory experience vivid and real.
- Experienced performers benefit more from imagery rehearsal, while beginners benefit more from actual physical practice, and the task being easy or well-practiced enhances the effectiveness of mental practice.
- Imagining one's "best possible future self" for 20 minutes a day over 4 days has been shown to increase positive affect and future expectancies, with participants experiencing a significant increase in positive affect immediately after the exercise and after 4 weeks of continued home practice.
- Writing about the "best possible future self" prompts individuals to organize, integrate, and analyze their thoughts, leading to increased positive affect and future expectancies over time.
- In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, visualization is often used in conjunction with affirmations to reinforce positive beliefs and expectations.
- There are no neuroimaging studies on the best possible future self intervention to date, although it has been shown to have positive effects on positive affect and future expectancies.
- The key to effective imagery rehearsal is to engage all the senses and focus on the feelings evoked by the scene, making the sensory experience as vivid and real as possible.
- Visualization is a standard part of training for Olympic athletes, and many famous athletes have attributed their success to this technique.
- Middle school students from financially struggling families are more likely to earn high grades if they have a clear vision of themselves succeeding in school, suggesting the potential impact of visualization on academic achievement.
Test your knowledge of mindfulness therapies and their focus on emotions, the physical body, and thoughts. Explore the relationship between thoughts and emotions in newer variants of CBT, and learn about using emotions to guide thoughts.
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