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>> BELIEFS

Drowning Out DoubtWhen we feel uncertain, we work harder to win others over

People preaching their point of view seem awfully sure of themselves. But we often try hardest to per-suade when our con� dence has been shaken, suggests an October study online in Psychological Sci-ence. In the experiment, volunteers wrote essays aimed at strangers about their views on animal testing or dietary preference. When the subjects’ con� dence was � rst challenged by recalling experiences that made them feel uncertain or having to write with their nondomi-nant hand, they wrote longer es-says. Because we de� ne ourselves largely by our beliefs, the research-ers say, we try to shore up our self-con� dence by convincing oth-ers to see it our way. Supporting this idea was the � nding that when the volunteers were given a differ-ent opportunity to reaf� rm their attitudes before writing their es-says, such as making a list of their music and movie preferences, the effect disappeared. —Valerie Ross

>> MIND -BODY CONNECTION

When Photos Are PainkillersLooking at a picture of a loved one can dull physical pain

Many mothers offer their young children a hand to squeeze as they brave a vaccination in the doctor’s of� ce. We instinctively know that contact with a loved one can help mitigate pain—and the scienti� c evidence concurs. Now two recent studies show that a mere remind-er of an absent beloved—a photograph—can deliver the same relief.

A Psychological Science study in 2009 � rst showed the effect. Psychologist Sarah Master of the University California, Los Ange-les, and her colleagues studied 25 women and their boyfriends of more than six months. The researchers subjected the women to different degrees of thermal stimulation—a sharp, prickling sensa-

tion—as they either held their boyfriend’s hand while he sat behind a curtain, held the hand of a male stranger behind a curtain, viewed a photograph of their boyfriend or viewed a photograph of a male stranger. Holding their partner’s hand or viewing his photo decreased the women’s pain signi� cantly more than touching or viewing a stranger—and the photo was just as effective as the physical contact.

A more recent study in the October issue of PLoS One peered inside the brain to better understand how love soothes pain. Neuroscientist Jarred Younger of Stanford University and his colleagues recruited 15 students who were in the � rst nine months of a new and passionate relationship. While lying inside a functional MRI machine, the participants focused on photographs of their partners or on pictures of similarly attractive acquaintances, or they played a word association game. During these dis-tractions, the experimenters applied mild, medium or painful temperatures to the students’ palms. Images of attractive acquaintances were not very effective painkillers, but gazing at the faces of signi� cant others and playing the word game reduced reported pain on average between 36 and 44 percent and high pain between 12 and 13 percent.

Only photos of loved ones, however, sparked activity in reward centers within the amygdala, hypothalamus and medial orbitofrontal cortex. The faces of romantic partners also decreased activity in major pain-processing areas, such as the left and right posterior insula. Because the reward centers did not � utter in response to the distracting word game, the researchers argue that the salve of romantic affection is not mere distraction—it is a bliss as potent as that of drugs such as cocaine, which invigorate the same pleasure pathways.

A photograph may not need to show a signi� cant other to produce analgesic effects—any loved one could do, thinks neuroscientist Lucy Brown of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, who was not involved with the study. “Whether a photo of a boyfriend or girlfriend works better than one of your spouse, child or beloved pet, I’m not so sure,” she says. So the next time you have to squeeze into a cramped airplane seat or trudge to work with a bad cold, consider bringing a picture of someone you love to make things more bearable. —Ferris Jabr

! >> AT TENTION

Lose Focus, Lose HappinessA wandering mind may bring you down

Daydreaming may boost creativity, but a new study from psychologists at Harvard University suggests that letting your mind wander may also lead to unhappiness. The researchers had more than 2,000 study participants use an iPhone application that randomly asked them to report their current activity and state of mind. The results indicate that people’s minds wander an awful lot: of the 22 activities subjects could choose from, sex was the only one not associat-ed with distraction. Minds were wandering at least 30 percent of the time during everything else from work to conversation—and the more people reported being distracted, the lower they reported their mood. There may be something to “living in the moment” after all. —Erica Westly

MiQ211News3p.indd 9 12/13/10 4:28:37 PM