Neurology
Bad mood? Brain Researcher Explains What You Shouldn’t Do Next
In a bad mood, we deal with some challenges worse than in a normal state
© Bartek Szewczyk / Getty Images
bad on that? Then you should avoid the following things for now. Because a bad mood interferes with thinking, explains neuroscientist Professor Dr. Martin Court in his book Brain Whisper.
This text first appeared here brigitte.de.
Everyone is in a bad mood and most of the time we can’t even pinpoint the cause. Some teens are even miserable non-stop for years, though Mom makes them breakfast, Dad washes their clothes, and all they have to do is find out who they are. No one knows exactly how bad moods arise and the best way to get rid of them. However, what it can “do” has already been somewhat clarified by brain research – so we can at least avoid the worst…
In his book “Brain Whispers”, the neuroscientist Prof. Dr. Martin Curti clearly and understandably how our brain is built. In short: the little miracle organ in our head is made up of different parts with different areas of responsibility and competencies, which often work together admirably, but sometimes get in the way of each other. One of these parts is called the ‘frontal cortex’ or ‘frontal cortex’ by brain researchers and is largely responsible for what we call conscious thinking and analysis – eg B – putting perceptions into words, planning ahead, thinking about consequences…
Bad mood contrasts with “thinking”
Compared to other brain regions, the functioning of our frontal lobes is almost absurd, but we still owe it almost everything we need to live (internet, heating, refrigerator, electricity …). But if we’re in a bad mood, our prefrontal cortex is busy “fending off” negative emotions, as Corti puts it simplistically. Therefore, its performance is not fully available to us. Which in turn: When we’re in a bad mood, we’re dealing with challenges in which we need our prefrontal cortex much less than it normally would – and thus it should, if at all possible and if it’s important to us. Life, put it off to a later time, where we feel better.
Four things you should never do when you’re in a bad mood
1. Quit your job
Even if your bad mood is related to your job, you shouldn’t make the decision to quit smoking unless your prefrontal cortex is completely sane. While other areas of the brain also play a role in making decisions, the frontal lobe is responsible for integrating long-term outcomes into the decision-making process. In this regard, the following applies to every important decision that has a lasting effect: keep him well rested, nourished and in a good mood.
2. Finally tell your girlfriend how much it bothers you that you should always follow her
Of course, conflicts smoldering in friendship are fertile ground for bad moods – but treating them in a bad mood usually backfires. If our frontal lobe is “weak,” we use the wrong tone more easily, are less able to assess the impact of our words and react impulsively rather than being solution-oriented and self-confident. If you want to tear yourself apart and possibly endanger your friendship, you can, of course, with confidence, empty your heart to your girlfriend with a bad mood. However, if you want to get rid of a problem, it is better to sleep on it …
3. Discuss with your partner why they act like a Neanderthal around their mates
What applies to friendship also applies to relationships: if you are in a bad mood, the probability of starting a quarrel is much higher than the chance of resolving a problematic conflict in the long run …
4. Start a new (difficult) project
When we are in a bad mood, we deal with everyday challenges less actively, but more or less easily, since we do not store movement patterns and habits in the prefrontal cortex, but in other areas of the brain (for example in the basal ganglia). However, if we are faced with a completely new situation, we need the brow slice to be 100% operational in order to handle it in the best possible way. Sure, with some projects, it’s certainly not a bad thing not to get off to the best start possible. However, false starts breed frustration and can lead us to give up on projects that would have given us pleasure…
Admittedly, if we think more now, we will come up with many things that we do much worse when we are in a bad mood than we do when we are in a good mood. That’s why it makes sense to take care of ourselves and make sure we at least feel as good as possible. On the other hand, there are also situations in which we do not need our prefrontal cortex very urgently and in which sometimes too much thinking is more of a hindrance.
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