I’ve always been fascinated by how vividly we remember some memories, while others  fade away into oblivion. It’s long been known that stress in early life can have lasting impacts on brain function. For example, adversity experienced early in your life can influence the size of your hippocampus, which is a key region involved in memory. Lately, significant breakthroughs have been made in understanding exactly how brains react to stress – and suggesting ways to treat long-term conditions associated with these reactions.

In April 2023, Neuroscience News reported on a study which revealed a previously unknown pathway in the brain’s reward circuits. It produces corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), which is involved in regulating stress responses. The researchers found that negative experiences can cause this pathway to become overactive. That results in changes to your mood and your behaviour. In particular, it can lower your ability to feel pleasure.

Here’s the interesting part of the study. The researchers were able to silence the newly found pathway. That restored the ability to feel pleasure at normal levels. The research team believes their findings “provide breakthrough insights into the impact of early-life adversity on brain development and specifically on control of reward behaviours that underlie many emotional disorders.” So stay tuned, as new treatments for emotional disorders may soon be developed.

This finding adds to our growing knowledge of how early-life stress impacts the brain, giving us valuable insights into the long-term effects of childhood adversity. By uncovering this new pathway, scientists are getting closer to developing targeted interventions that can help reduce the negative effects of stress on individuals.

Intriguing, isn’t it? This study reminds us that the brain is incredibly adaptable and resilient. It’s constantly responding to the environment and can change and adapt based on your experiences. This is both a blessing and a curse – as it means that stress in early life can have lasting effects, but it also means that targeted interventions can lead to positive changes in brain function.

To find out more about this research, you can access the original article here.

This article summary was created by Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a leadership trainer, success coach and people skills expert. She helps managers and business owners build thriving teams and organisations, using tools from Positive Psychology. She's trained more than 60,000 people during her career as a corporate trainer and professional development consultant. Her mission is inspiring talented people to become leaders who make a difference. 

Why do people paint exaggerated pictures of their success and happiness on social media? It’s a common question and psychologists answer it by saying that we all have a basic need for ‘self-completion’. This is a desire to see yourself – and be seen by others – as accomplished in areas you see as important. For example, someone who wants to be wealthy might buy an expensive outfit even though they can’t afford it. This ‘reward’ will make them feel like they’re living in alignment with their values, even though their action may in fact be financially irresponsible.

This need for self-completion is greatly amplified in the age of social media. After all, social media creates a platform for people to showcase their successes and highlight only the best parts of their lives. Often, the motivation behind this is a desire to receive validation from others. Why? So the person can feel ‘complete’ within themselves.

This is why so many people carefully select and edit photos before posting them. Essentially, they are using social media platforms to symbolise their idea visions of themselves. The research findings here are pretty fascinating. They suggest that people who feel incomplete in terms of their identity goals are more likely to be active on Instagram, using it to express themselves and achieve a feeling of self-fulfilment. While some see this as a positive way to pursue their goals, others may argue that it can bring pressure and dissatisfaction if you don’t reach your desired identity.

This is why so many people carefully select and edit photos before posting them. Essentially, they are using social media platforms to symbolise their idea visions of themselves. The research findings here are pretty fascinating. They suggest that people who feel incomplete in terms of their identity goals are more likely to be active on Instagram, using it to express themselves and achieve a feeling of self-fulfilment. While some see this as a positive way to pursue their goals, others may argue that it can bring pressure and dissatisfaction if you don’t reach your desired identity.

So, why does this all matter? Understanding why you post on Instagram can give you key insights into human behaviour and how social media fits into your life. By getting to grips with your drive for self-completion, you’ll get a deeper sense of what you really want in your life. This, of course, can empower you to take positive steps towards really achieving your goals – rather than just symbolising them on your Instagram feed.

Intrigued by all this? Here’s a quick exercise you can do: take a look at your own social media profiles and ask yourself why you post the pictures that you do. What does this tell you about your aspirations and values? Are you satisfied with your current level of self-fulfilment? Use this as a starting point to begin working towards a more authentic and fulfilling life, both on and off social media. Remember, it’s not about the number of likes or followers, but about finding true satisfaction within yourself.

Want to find out more about self-completion and identity goals? Read this article Psychology Today.

This article summary was created by Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a leadership trainer, success coach and people skills expert. She helps managers and business owners build thriving teams and organisations, using tools from Positive Psychology. She's trained more than 60,000 people during her career as a corporate trainer and professional development consultant. Her mission is inspiring talented people to become leaders who make a difference. 

What does it mean to be sensitive, really? You might picture someone who gets easily upset or overwhelmed. But, it’s more complex than that. Research into sensitivity started with an interesting observation about babies. In the 1980s, psychologist Jerome Kagan noticed that some babies reacted intensely to new sights and smells, while others were more placid. Through a series of tests involving Winnie-the-Pooh mobiles, cotton buds dipped in alcohol and eerie synthetic voices, Kagan and his team identified two temperaments among these infants: “high reactive” and “low reactive.”

The high-reactive babies seemed more sensitive to their environment and displayed signs like kicking, thrashing and crying. But it wasn’t just a passing phase. Kagan’s follow-up studies revealed that these high-reactive babies grew into high-reactive adults. As an adult, you might still have big reactions to your surroundings—you might get nervous in crowds, be prone to over-thinking and worry about future events. Yet, you also demonstrate significant strengths. You might excel academically, build a successful career and make meaningful friendships.

You might think being high-reactive sounds a lot like being fearful. Initially, Kagan connected this trait to the amygdala, the brain’s “fear center.” But modern research tells a more nuanced story. While fearfulness in high-reactive children often diminishes by adulthood, sensitivity remains a defining characteristic. Elaine Aron, a pioneering researcher in the field, has shown that sensitivity is a healthy trait. This same trait goes by several names today, including highly sensitive people (HSPs), sensory processing sensitivity and biological sensitivity to context. Recently, researchers have looked to unify these terms under a single umbrella: environmental sensitivity.

So, what does it mean to be sensitive, or perhaps more fittingly, responsive? Essentially, it involves perceiving, processing and responding deeply to your surroundings. You notice more details in your environment and think deeply about this information, often unconsciously. This deep processing makes you highly responsive not just to negative experiences like heartbreak or loss, but also to positive stimuli such as beauty joy and new ideas.

If you consider yourself to be a sensitive person, it means that your body and mind react more intensely to the world around you. You might delve deeply into thoughts and feelings when others skim the surface, finding profound connections and insights. This responsiveness is a double-edged sword; it makes you vulnerable but also capable of extraordinary depth and understanding.

In a world that often values quick reactions and surface-level thinking, being responsive can set you apart in meaningful ways. If you think deeply and feel strongly, you bring invaluable perspectives and insights to the table. Sensitivity, therefore, is not just a trait to be managed but a strength to be celebrated.

More of the article here.

This article summary was created by Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a leadership trainer, success coach and people skills expert. She helps managers and business owners build thriving teams and organisations, using tools from Positive Psychology. She's trained more than 60,000 people during her career as a corporate trainer and professional development consultant. Her mission is inspiring talented people to become leaders who make a difference. 

Courage is more complicated than you think. That’s why it’s so hard to build. Recent research delves into this universally admired trait and what makes someone courageous. It turns out, your personality traits – your levels of extraversion, agreeableness, open-mindedness, emotional stability and resilience – can influence your courageous behaviours. And it doesn’t just stop at you. Courage is also intertwined with altruism, urging you to take risks that go beyond self-interest to benefit your community or group.

Sounds intriguing, right? But here’s where it gets even more fascinating. What if you generally shy away from risks? Does this mean you lack courage? Not necessarily, according to a study that examined self-reported courage. The research found that those with a low propensity for risk often reported less courage. However, when faced with real-life situations that demanded action, those same individuals were just as likely to step up and show courage.

This means that the true measure of courage may not lie in what you say about yourself, but in what you do when the stakes are high. Now, let’s add a twist. The research theorises that courage could be an evolved trait, developed over generations to encourage us to take calculated risks for the good of our tribe or group. In essence, your courage could be an ancestral gift, a vital trait that helped shape the course of human history.

Thus, if you want to nurture your inner courageous hero, start by cultivating your outgoing, open-minded and resilient self. Embrace the fact that taking risks is part of our evolutionary heritage. Remember, being courageous isn’t just about personal glory. It’s about making a positive impact on those around you.

So, next time you’re faced with a challenging situation, remember this: courage is more about action than self-description. Don’t shy away from risk – instead, embrace it as a chance to show your courage, to demonstrate your altruism and to make a difference. Unlock your inner hero and let your courage shine through. Who knows? You just might change the world.

More of the article here.

This article summary was created by Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a leadership trainer, success coach and people skills expert. She helps managers and business owners build thriving teams and organisations, using tools from Positive Psychology. She's trained more than 60,000 people during her career as a corporate trainer and professional development consultant. Her mission is inspiring talented people to become leaders who make a difference. 

Imagine navigating the vast ocean of life, where your boat symbolises your hope and the horizon your goals. Poetic, isn’t it? But here’s the twist – navigating this ocean isn’t just about having a sturdy boat (aka hope). It’s also understanding that you’re part of a larger fleet (your social connections). Recent insights from positive psychology, reveal some fascinating facts about hope.

To start with, hope is way more than wishful thinking.  Second, it’s not just an individual phenomenon. Research shows that people with strong support systems tend to have higher levels of hope than those with no support. After all, social connections give you emotional support during tough times. They also offer practical resources such as advice, funding or help.  This is why it’s important to nurture and invest in your relationships.

Consider the concept of WePower. No, it’s not the latest energy drink). It’s the idea that when people come together, their collective hope and energy can create positive change. Whether it’s supporting a friend through a difficult time or working towards a common goal with your team, WePower can make the difference between giving up and pushing through.

Plus, studies have shown that hope is contagious. For example, if you’re surrounded by hopeful and optimistic people, chances are you’ll also be more hopeful and optimistic. Plus, it seems social connections can serve as a safety net, sheltering you from life’s storms. Many resilience researchers have found that when people go through traumatic events, having strong support systems can help them bounce back with stronger levels of hope.

So, it seems that having high levels of personal agency is important, but so is having a supportive social network. In fact, it’s the combination of both leads to long-lasting hope and resilience. This expanded view of hope isn’t just academically intriguing, it’s also practically relevant for anyone keen on understanding what propels you forward in life. So, the next time you face a challenge, remember to not only rely on your personal hope, but also draw strength and support from those around you.

More of the article here.

This article summary was created by Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a leadership trainer, success coach and people skills expert. She helps managers and business owners build thriving teams and organisations, using tools from Positive Psychology. She's trained more than 60,000 people during her career as a corporate trainer and professional development consultant. Her mission is inspiring talented people to become leaders who make a difference.