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Developing Self Control in Children

Developing Self Control in Children

by | 2023 Sep 4 | Public, Quick Hits

Quick Hits
Daily brief research updates from the cognitive sciences

brain self-control willpower children

Today’s quick brain update looks at a surprising theory on how self control develops.

Do children have self control?

Good question. Indeed self control develops with age as the brain develops. It’s known as executive function amongst researchers and is mostly guided by the front of the brain.

But that’s the point.

What’s the point?

Well an academic paper I stumbled across reviewed the concept of self control as being as much external to the brain or mind as it being internal.

What, you mean the brain isn’t guiding executive function?!

Precisely. They go against the standard theory of brain function guiding self control. The authors draw on what is known as dynamic systems theory to give a different case for self control.

And what is dynamic systems theory?

A complex theory that basically states that some things occur in dynamic, that means constantly changing, environments with multiple influences. However some key triggers and rules can apply – for example in flocks of birds which can be highly complex but somehow seem to work.

And how does this work with regard to self control and with children?

Well, rather than just think of it as a brain problem i.e. prefrontal control, the brain controlling behaviour, think of it as much as an environmental problem. The environment provides lots of cues and input to trigger behaviours.

So how do you improve self control?

Well pay more attention to the environment and cues – manage the environment better. That could be by how desks are placed in classrooms or even the art on the walls.

But what about simply training self control?

Well, that’s the point. That sounds obvious but has generally proven to be ineffective. Some people may think that this isn’t really self control but the fact is self control is guided by many assumptions and underlying principles.

Do you remember the marshmallow test?

Where kids have to resist the temptation of eating a marshmallow?

Right (funny video here). Children are asked by an adult to sit in a quiet room by themselves with a marshmallow placed right in front of them. If they can resist eating the marshmallow until the adult comes back they will get two marshmallows.

So two juicy taste marshmallow in place of one. Waiting should be the best option then: as long as the kids can resist the temptation (exert self control) to scoff the first marshmallow sitting tantalisingly in front of them.

But, if you change some contexts of the test you change the outcome.

Like what?

For example, in one study the children had the adult break a promise of bringing coloured pencils first. This breaking of a promise led the children to therefore not trust the adult as much when they promised the children a second marshmallow if they could resist eating the first marshmallow. Most children therefore just scoffed the marshmallow straight off.

This is going for the strategy of “I’m not sure I’ll actually get a second marshmallow (because the adult has already promised something and not delivered) so best to just eat this one right away”

So context changes outcome – but context changes self control. I’ve also put that down to worldviews previously.

So we should pay more attention to environmental cues?

Precisely – but this can be a challenge. We have so many conscious and unconscious cues.

But the important take away is to manage the environment better to get better self control.

I presume in adults as well as children

Yup, but we’d certainly like to get the habit of self control sorted in children.

And what about social media?

Oh, precisely lots of environmental cues to distract us – but let’s not go there for now.

Just remember, for yourself, and your children if you have them, that managing the environment helps with self control.

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Andy Habermacher

Andy Habermacher

Andy is author of leading brains Review, Neuroleadership, and multiple other books. He has been intensively involved in writing and research into neuroleadership and is considered one of Europe’s leading experts. He is also a well-known public speaker, speaking on the brain and human behaviour.

Andy is also a masters athlete (middle distance running) and competes regularly at international competitions (and holds a few national records in his age category).

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Reference

Sammy Perone, Vanessa R. Simmering, Aaron T. Buss.
A Dynamical Reconceptualization of Executive-Function Development.
Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2021; 174569162096679
DOI: 10.1177/1745691620966792

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Surprising Discovery on the Social Brain

Surprising Discovery on the Social Brain

by | 2023 Sep 1 | Public, Quick Hits

Quick Hits
Daily brief research updates from the cognitive sciences

social brain neuroscience

Today’s quick brain update looks at a surprising discovery in how bat’s brains encode social information.

You did say “bat’s brains”

Yes, I often report on various animal studies because this gives us strong clues as to how brains in general work.

And do bats have friends and social networks?

Well, we obviously know that most bats live in large colonies together and so there are all sorts of social interactions together. The bats used were Egyptian fruit bats but the researchers used an innovative technique to measure brain activity while flying and resting in a large flight room i.e. in a naturalistic environment.

And what did they do?

Angelo Forli and Michael Yartsev of the University of California used wireless technology to measure activity in a part of the brain called the hippocampus. Because it was wireless they could measure them in more natural interactions and while flying (and also specific brain cells – neurons).

And what did they discover that was surprising?

Well, as I said they had wired up the hippocampus in the brain. This area is very well researched and known for its involvement in memory but particularly in navigation – that’s why it is interesting to measure in bats. There are different navigation brain cells but some are called place neurons because they activate to specific places.

What was particularly surprising is that they noticed that when finding landing spots that place neurons activated as expected but if another bat was already there the place neurons also seems to activate to this. What’s more the specific identify of the bat seemed to also be encoded in the same area.

This was also the same while flying!

So the bat’s navigation areas was also activating to social cues?

Precisely, and this is the first time that social identity representation have been found in non-primate brains. And that this is encoded in the hippocampus is also surprising. But then again social environments also need navigation.

The other surprise is that this research yielded any useful information at all – the researchers were unsure about how useful the information would be in free flying bats because of the complexities of behaviour. However, the bats showed structured behaviour preferring specific landing spots and other bat “friends”.

Do bats have friends?

Yes, in a batty type of way. This research also showed that bats preferred specific spots to land and rest in but also they preferred their bat friends – landing close to and often on top of these friends!

Ok so what have we learnt?

Lots. Place neurons have been well researched but 99% of that is with single animals moving in structured spaces. This shows how refined these neurons are and that they are also used to navigate social spaces. That is very interesting for us humans as well.

It is also consistent with what we know about damage to the hippocampus which can cause issues in multiple areas including social navigation.

The hippocampus was not considered a social part of the brain – and this shows how deeply embedded this social navigation functions is to many animals – especially humans. And how important!

So navigate social environments well

If you have a healthy hippocampus – and remember social connections are very good for you for many other reasons. So use your hippocampus to seek out your friends!

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Andy Habermacher

Andy Habermacher

Andy is author of leading brains Review, Neuroleadership, and multiple other books. He has been intensively involved in writing and research into neuroleadership and is considered one of Europe’s leading experts. He is also a well-known public speaker, speaking on the brain and human behaviour.

Andy is also a masters athlete (middle distance running) and competes regularly at international competitions (and holds a few national records in his age category).

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Reference

Angelo Forli, Michael M. Yartsev.
Hippocampal representation during collective spatial behaviour in bats.
Nature, 2023
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06478-7

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How Emotional Satisfaction (not “Happiness”) Improves Students’ Grades

How Emotional Satisfaction (not “Happiness”) Improves Students’ Grades

by | 2023 Sep 1 | Healthy Brains, Learning Brains, Public, Quick Hits, Society Brains

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Daily brief research updates from the cognitive sciences

 

education learning school brain

I’m not sure where to start with the above title….is happiness not key to high performance?

Well, kind of. As you may know I have done, and am in the middle of, research into emotional needs in the workplace and how this impacts performance.

Our base theory (based on others’ theories and research) is that improving emotional needs is the key to improving mental (and physical) health, life satisfaction, and also performance

So this is not a surprise to you?

No, our theory suggests that that is precisely what we should be focusing on in all areas in life. Rather than “happiness” or positive feelings (which are obviously good) focus on fulfilling emotional needs.

What did these researchers do then?

They found out precisely what we have been proposing for years.

Tania Clarke and colleagues of the University of Cambridge in the UK tracked over 600 children aged 14-15 in seven schools in the UK. These were given two assessments: one on life satisfaction which broadly relates to “happiness” and the other on “eudaimania” (I’ll call these “needs) which included aspects such as competence, motivation, self-esteem, and of ‘functioning well. These are similar to our needs in our SCOAP model.

They also measure “growth mindset” which has become a popular in educational contexts – a growth mindset means having the belief that you can grow and develop and that life is not static.

Ok, that sounds interesting – and what were the results?

First off, they had a general wellbeing score which included both life satisfaction and needs ratings and they found that this correlated strongly with performance (i.e. getting better mock exam results) even when accounting for socioeconomic differences and other factors.

So far so good – probably to be expected but good to have the scientific evidence in.

However, what was a little more surprising is that when they just looked at the life satisfaction alone there was no significant correlation to better performance. So all the difference was down to the needs.

In our language, those with high emotional needs fulfilment performed better.

That’s very interesting – why?

Well, it’s an interesting relationship and depends on what questions were asked in the assessments. But in our model, life satisfaction is driven by needs fulfillment. Just feeling good is one need but doesn’t take into account all the needs that are essential for full satisfaction and engagement. In our model it is Self-Esteem, Control (which includes autonomy and competence), Orientation, Attachment, and Pleasure.

Our research shows that these are all important and interplay to create high performance. In this context it is not a surprise that for example, competence and functioning well correlate strongly – this is enabling, which is motivating, which generates performance, which generates positive feelings and deeper satisfaction.

In short: focus on what generate happiness and satisfaction rather than the end result – and that is needs fulfillment.

What is also maybe surprising is that there was no correlation to the “growth mindset” – many people think this is important and it sounds intuitively correct. But research has been mixed over the years.

So what is the takeaway then?

There are a number of key points that are relevant for educational systems and teachers but also for business and society.

Focusing on needs is more important than happiness per se. However, this will generate happiness ultimately or life satisfaction (however, surprising that there was not a stronger correlation in this study).

Teachers then should concentrate more on these needs and educational systems should measure these rather than just the “feel good” factors. Ultimately it will all lead to the same place but the fundamentals will be in place.

The same applies to businesses – focus on needs be that leading teams or in organisational leadership. By focusing on needs you will be enabling higher performance and also building a strong foundation for satisfaction and happiness.

Sounds good to me – how competent are you feeling today?

Well, I’ve just finished this and its not even 8am so pretty good!

Well done!

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Andy Habermacher

Andy Habermacher

Andy is author of leading brains Review, Neuroleadership, and multiple other books. He has been intensively involved in writing and research into neuroleadership and is considered one of Europe’s leading experts. He is also a well-known public speaker, speaking on the brain and human behaviour.

Andy is also a masters athlete (middle distance running) and competes regularly at international competitions (and holds a few national records in his age category).

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Reference

Tania Clarke, Ros McLellan, Gordon Harold.
Beyond Life Satisfaction: Wellbeing Correlates of Adolescents’ Academic Attainment.
School Psychology Review, 2023; 1
DOI: 10.1080/2372966X.2023.2217980

SCOAP model

Take part in German scientific validation of the SCOAP-Profile (you will spend about 30 mins answering questions but will get a free detailed report of your emotional needs)

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The Little Known Brain Cells that Help You Stay Awake and Keep Your Brain Active

The Little Known Brain Cells that Help You Stay Awake and Keep Your Brain Active

by | 2023 Aug 25 | Healthy Brains, Public, Quick Hits

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Daily brief research updates from the cognitive sciences

 


Now that sounds good – stay awake and keep my brain active

Yes, indeed that does sound good. We all know, and obviously the scientific research also says, that fatigue impairs brain function – quite seriously at times.

Tell me about it! And what brain cells are we talking about?

First off, we know that staying a wake for longer causes mental fatigue and subsequently disrupts following sleep patterns. And we also know that there are different parts of the brain that control this daily cycle of sleep and alertness.

These researchers from Washington State University in the USA looked at part of the brain in mice called the basal forebrain which is associated with sleep regulation.

Specifically they look at a class of brains cells called astrocytes.

Astrocytes? Sounds cool but what are they?

Astrocytes are what are known as glial cells or helping cells – normally only ascribed a helping function in the brain to the brain’s neurons which are our key functional brain cells. But because astrocytes have a key regulatory function shuttling nutrients and transmitters into neurons, they can have important impacts on brain functioning.

And it is these cells that contribute to staying awake with good cognitive function?

Precisely the researchers zoomed in on these astrocytes in the basal forebrain. When they activated these the mice stayed awake much longer without any impairment in function and without disrupting following sleep patterns.

So staying awake for longer with higher cognitive functions – sounds good to me!

Sounds appealing for sure, and that this seems to be controlled by these unsuspecting astrocytes is very a useful, if not a surprising, insight.

But there are other factors at play and over time – such as hormonal balances not to mention genetic damage from staying awake and subsequent repair during sleep. I’ve written about sleep multiple times (one review here) and it’s impact on brain function.

Hmmm, so more research needed?

Of course but still a very useful avenue for research!

And will there be drugs for staying awake for shift workers then?

Who knows – maybe in the future. But for now the best advice is still to regularly get a good night’s sleep!

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Andy Habermacher

Andy Habermacher

Andy is author of leading brains Review, Neuroleadership, and multiple other books. He has been intensively involved in writing and research into neuroleadership and is considered one of Europe’s leading experts. He is also a well-known public speaker, speaking on the brain and human behaviour.

Andy is also a masters athlete (middle distance running) and competes regularly at international competitions (and holds a few national records in his age category).

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Reference

Ashley M. Ingiosi, Christopher R. Hayworth, Marcos G. Frank.
Activation of Basal Forebrain Astrocytes Induces Wakefulness without Compensatory Changes in Sleep Drive.
The Journal of Neuroscience, 2023; 43 (32): 5792
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0163-23.2023

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Unfair! Brain Circuit for Fair Rewards Identified

Unfair! Brain Circuit for Fair Rewards Identified

by | 2023 Aug 23 | Public, Quick Hits

Quick Hits
Daily brief research updates from the cognitive sciences

 

brain fairness

Life’s unfair – as my mother used to say!

Mine too – but that experience as a child, and as an adult, of feeling unfairly treated when a sibling gets a bigger reward, or a reward for doing less than you is interesting.

Interesting – I thought it was obvious?!

Well, no. Old-school economics thought rewards were rewards and disregarded the comparative or social value. So in theory the value of a reward should be judged on the value of a reward: if I get, say, $10, for doing 10 minutes of work I should be reasonably happy with this. But we know that this happiness can be broken if, for example, someone else who didn’t do any work also gets $10.

This means that reward is subjective and comparative. It’s not just getting the $, or whatever the reward is, a compliment, some food, or whatever, but the relative value that is important.

Ok, and how does this work in the brain

Well, that is the point: reward circuitry has been well researched but this subjective valuation is unclear and this is where a group of Japanese researchers at the National Institute for Physiological Sciences come in.

We know of the potential pathways and regions but they managed to manipulate this and change the response in macaque monkeys.

Do macaque monkeys also experience this subjective reward?

Yup, many monkeys (and other animals) are also very sensitive to social comparison and others getting rewards or not – this is a funny video showing a capuchin monkey getting disgusted with their meagre reward because a neighbour got a better reward.

Ok, so what is this circuit?

It is the connection between a region called the medial prefrontal cortex and the lateral hypothalamus. The prefrontal region is associated with cognitive abilities but the medial section particularly with social abilities.

Using drugs the researchers managed to inhibit the connections and effectively disconnect these two regions. With this disconnected the monkeys showed much less responsiveness to unfairness. They therefore valued the reward for what it was irrespective of what others received.

Oh wow – can I get that drug for my children?

Of course not – only for experiments and there could be multiple side effects – not to mention that fairness is important and we should be careful of fairness and aware of fairness in society, in business, and in our homes!

Sound good?

Fair enough!

Indeed!

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Andy Habermacher

Andy Habermacher

Andy is author of leading brains Review, Neuroleadership, and multiple other books. He has been intensively involved in writing and research into neuroleadership and is considered one of Europe’s leading experts. He is also a well-known public speaker, speaking on the brain and human behaviour.

Andy is also a masters athlete (middle distance running) and competes regularly at international competitions (and holds a few national records in his age category).

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Reference

Atsushi Noritake, Taihei Ninomiya, Kenta Kobayashi, Masaki Isoda.
Chemogenetic dissection of a prefrontal-hypothalamic circuit for socially subjective reward valuation in macaques.
Nature Communications, 2023; 14 (1)
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40143-x

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Brain Cells of Males and Females Respond Differently to Stress

Brain Cells of Males and Females Respond Differently to Stress

by | 2023 Aug 18 | Healthy Brains, Public, Quick Hits, Society Brains

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Daily brief research updates from the cognitive sciences

 

brain learning neuroscience

There I knew it – men and women are different!

Well, yes, and no! I wrote in more detail on the similarities and differences between men and women’s brains here – it’s more complicated than you might think. And this research was in male and female mice – not human beings.

Oh, but there’s a difference then?

Well first off – and this is important in general. There is a male and female research problem: namely that animal models and research are normally only conducted on male mice. Which means if there is a difference we could be missing something important. The same also goes for clinical trials in human beings – these are also more often than not conducted in men (and white men at that).

Ok, that sounds wrong, so there should be more diversity in research but back to the stress response: don’t we already know that men and women respond differently to stress?

Yes, there are well documented differences – for example women more often than men exhibit a tend and befriend strategy in stressful times – they look after and seek out friends.

But this research investigated direct responses in the brain – the hypothalamus, a region that is a hub for the stress response and triggering hormone release.

And what did they find?

Well, first off, let me explain what they did because this is pretty impressive. The study was conducted by a group of researchers at the Max-Planck Institute in Germany. They managed to sequence RNA for 35’000 cells in a region of the Hypothalamus and then compare response to initial stress and repeated stress events.

This is unprecedented to be able to track the genetic response of 35’000 cells in a given region including neurons but also what are called glial cells. Glial cells are helping cells in the brain. Very impressive (and they made the dataset public so other researchers can use this).

Oh wow that does sound impressive! And this data showed different responses?

Indeed they found that one class of glial cells responds differently in males and females. For males these cells responded directly to stress events but especially to chronic stress also leading to structural change. In females these cells did not respond at all.

And what does that mean?

Well, it’s far too early to give and clear implications and actions. But the key takeaways are this:

  • Genetic activation shows much more than basic observation

  • All cells need to be taken into account

  • And the importance of having more diversity in research groups – this applies at the level of the mice and the level of human beings.

If you don’t have the granularity that the above technique brought to the table it is easy to miss something. If you don’t have the diversity you also miss something or can come to the wrong general conclusions.

So more granularity and more diversity!

Yup – and less chronic stress for men!

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Andy Habermacher

Andy Habermacher

Andy is author of leading brains Review, Neuroleadership, and multiple other books. He has been intensively involved in writing and research into neuroleadership and is considered one of Europe’s leading experts. He is also a well-known public speaker, speaking on the brain and human behaviour.

Andy is also a masters athlete (middle distance running) and competes regularly at international competitions (and holds a few national records in his age category).

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Reference

Elena Brivio, Aron Kos, Alessandro Francesco Ulivi, Stoyo Karamihalev, Andrea Ressle, Rainer Stoffel, Dana Hirsch, Gil Stelzer, Mathias V. Schmidt, Juan Pablo Lopez, Alon Chen.
Sex shapes cell-type-specific transcriptional signatures of stress exposure in the mouse hypothalamus.
Cell Reports, 2023; 42 (8): 112874
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112874

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