Scientists have invented a cure for unhappy love
'28.04.2017'
Source: Huffingtonpost
That love is the result of chemical processes in the brain, scientists have been saying for a long time. A study recently conducted at the University of Colorado, proves that the processes associated with the perception of emotional pain can be controlled with a placebo, writes Huffingtonpost.
“Parting with a partner is one of the most emotional events in a person's life, which can be an important factor in the development of psychological problems. In our study, we found that placebos can have a strong effect on reducing the intensity of social pain, ”said research supervisor Dr. Leoni Coban.
The study was conducted on a group of volunteers from 40 people who survived a romantic breakup for six months before the start of the experiment. After careful selection, volunteers were asked to bring a photo of a former lover or lover and a photo of a close friend or girlfriend of the same sex as the former object of love.
In the course of the study, it was planned to apply the placebo effect, which was previously treated only with physical illness.
Participants were divided into groups 2, to one - applied the placebo effect, to the other - no.
For the study used magnetic resonance imaging. That group that applied the placebo effect was offered to look first at the photos of the former lover and asked to recall the breakup. Then they were shown a photograph of a friend and were subjected to physical pain with the help of a hot irritant of the right forearm. Periodically, the experiment was repeated and asked participants to evaluate their condition from 1 to 5, while MRI evaluated the brain activity.
For the second part of the study, volunteers were offered to use a nasal spray. Half said that the spray was a powerful painkiller for emotional pain, and the second part stated that it was a simple saline solution.
During the experiment, it turned out that people who were given a placebo feel better, both emotionally and physically. This group of participants showed increased activity in the area of periaqueductal gray matter. It is this part of the brain that plays a key role in modulating the painkillers of the brain - opioids, or pleasure-causing neurotransmitters, such as dopamine.
Thor Weiger, professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Colorado, insists that all suffering is really just a neurochemical process. “There is reason to believe that positive effects affect the prefrontal cortex, which in turn acts on the midbrain to generate opioid or dopamine responses,” Weiger said. In addition, combining the placebo effect with antidepressants makes the latter work much better.
The study was published in the journal Neuroscience and is the first study on a similar topic.
The effect of working with two photos largely explains the fact that, after a romantic breakup, it becomes much easier if the sufferer spends time with friends or very quickly switches to a new object of love.
