newsflash

Why is it that in any given group of people, when the
chance to invest in a potentially profitable, but risky
venture arises, the response of some in the group
will be to immediately say no? UCLA psychologists
recently presented research that compared how our
brains weigh an opportunity for gain and the
possibility for loss, when the decision in question is
judged as being risky.

In this study, the participants were given thirty
dollars, and were then asked in a series of over 250
gambles, whether or not they would risk that money
for a chance to win more. While they were deciding,
images were being taken of their brains using fMRI
scanners to determine which areas of the brain were
receiving an increased oxygen flow.

The people, who demonstrated the most sensitivity
to losses neurologically, were the ones who would be
hesitant to take a risk unless they were offered a
very safe and low risk situation. The people who had
a fairly balanced sensitivity to both losses and gains
were far more likely to take risk or gamble.

Here’s the surprise though; not only did the reward
centers of the brain light up when the reward was
received, those areas lit up with equal intensity when
the subjects were simply making decisions about the
rewards. But one other difference was noted; the
brain was more sensitive to potential losses than to
potential gains. Even more surprising was the fact
that when the potential losses were increased, the
parts of the brain that process fear were not
activated.

It was discovered that potential gains don’t turn
anything up in the brain; reward areas of the brain
get turned down, and the more the potential for loss,
the more they get turned down. These areas are
turned down more strongly for losses, than they are
turned up for gains. In short, the neurological
response to the fear of loss is stronger than the
response to a possible gain.

How can we incorporate this information into our
lives? What relevance does it have for you? Millions
of people would love to leave their job and start their
own business. This study indicates however, that
those with the most deactivation in the “reward-
pathways” areas of the brain simply won’t leave the
security of their current job…..even if they are
unhappy in that position or career. The benefits and
increase in pay would have to be extremely attractive
to prompt someone like this to put in their two weeks
notice and leave the security of a long held job.

There’s another way though; since we know that pain
(even anticipated pain) is such a powerful influence,
we can utilize this knowledge to link massive amounts
of pain to something different.

If you have wanted to exit the rat race of your current
job, and have longed to open your own flower shop
for example, but you haven’t yet done so, you have
probably linked most of the pain to things like, “What
if it doesn’t work out? I won’t have any retirement”
Oh sure, you probably feel wonderful when you day
dream about doing something you love, but as we
have seen in the study previously mentioned, your
brain in the situation described responds much more
to thoughts of loss than to living your dream.

The key then is to associate the pain to not leaving
your job. Energy flows where our attention goes; by
placing our attention on the pain of staying in a job
that leaves us empty when we leave it each day, and
nauseous on our commute in each morning, we
unleash our energy so that it can propel us in the
direction we desire.

Below is a list of possible questions you could you to
begin shifting how pain is influencing your life:

•        What will I miss out on 1, 3, 5, or 10 years from
if I were to stay in this job?

•        What will I not be able to enjoy doing form now
until the day I retire, simply because I decide to stay
where I am?

•        Who are the people in my life that I love and
enjoy spending time with, that because of being on
someone else’s schedule, my time will be strictly
limited with? How do I feel about that?

•        When I get to the end of my life, and I’m
reflecting back on the life that I lived, how will I feel
about a life that was lived doing something that did
not leave me fulfilled, and that in fact, was a source
of discomfort for much of my life?

While this is just a start, these questions will allow
you to take a look at how you can re-position your
experience or thoughts of loss and pain. In future
articles we’ll look at other techniques that you can
use to what you are paying the most attention to in
your life. Remember: Energy flows where our
attention goes.

© Copyright, Vincent Harris- All Rights Reserved