The strongest feeling: how the brain perceives humiliation Bashny.Net

What is stronger — anger or shame? And how to measure them? Modern neuroscience is helping and the fact that looking for a "range" for the human senses. In an article published in Wired, neuroscientist Christian Garett talks about the feeling of humiliation on my own experience and recent scientific research. We published the basic ideas.





I was about seven years old — the youngest in elementary school. I was standing in the dining room, surrounded by hundreds of senior students and teachers. They all looked at me — someone with compassion and someone with contempt. Unheard of! How can you be in the canteen having lunch when there older?!

"Pray tell, what are you doing here, Garett?" — with false indignation asked the Director. I was there because he refused to eat his pureed rhubarb, thus violating the most important school rule: everyone must eat everything that is offered to him.

But after I threw up from the first spoonfuls of this dish is similar to living flesh, I simply refused to continue the lunch. My punishment was to stay in the dining room until adults. I was going to explain to the gathered crowd what happened, but could not utter a word, instead, desperately, uncontrollably burst into tears, sense of humiliation permeated me.

It was a very powerful emotional experience: in the memory still painful that day. But can we say that of all negative emotions (such as anger or shame) the feeling of humiliation the most powerful? And even if so, as psychologists or neuroscientists could prove it?

 

The results showed that the brain actively responds to an imaginary situation of humiliation, than subjects with a different mood. Of all studied emotions it requires most costs of mental resources.

 

The age-old thesis of humanitarian literature about the destructive power of humiliation psychologists Mar Otten and Kai Jonas decided to explore using euroexpert. They conducted two studies in which the participants, male and female were asked to describe how they would feel in certain situations.

In the first study compared the sense of humiliation (for example, the Network friend when the first real meeting took one look at you and went), anger (roommate had a party in your absence and smashed flat to the ground) and happiness (did you know that your feelings for someone is mutual). In the second — the humiliation, anger and shame (you were rude to my mom and she started crying).

At the same time in the electroencephalogram (EEG), which showed the brain activity of the subjects. In particular, scientists were interested in two criteria: the greatest bursts of strong reaction (or "late positive potential") and related desynchronization event — a marker of reduced activity in the alpha band (the basic rhythm of the brain in a relaxed state). These two criteria — evidence of activation of the cortex and enhanced cognitive work.

The results showed that the brain actively responds to an imaginary situation of humiliation, than subjects with a different mood. Of all studied emotions it requires most costs of mental resources. "It confirms the idea that humiliation is a particularly intense feeling. It has far-reaching consequences both for the individual and for groups of people," concluded Otten and Jonas.

 



To step on your throat. About the blocked feelings

I'm not worthy of it: WHAT is behind this idea

 

But in fairness it should be noted that current neuroscience can't make absolute clarity to our understanding of psychological processes. After all, scientists don't know, what does this "late positive potential". Brain us something actively tells, but what? The intensity of the experience of humiliation is associated with the fact that it is a complex, complicated emotion based on the loss of social status.published

 

Author: Irina Petrova

 

P. S. And remember, just changing your mind — together we change the world! ©

Source: theoryandpractice.ru/posts/9107-brain-humiliation