The Neuroscience of The Neuroscience of Social EmotionSocial Emotion

Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Ed.DMary Helen Immordino-Yang, Ed.D

• University of Southern California

• Neuroscientist– learning – creativity – culture – morality

• Role of Emotion in Cognition

Two Brain SystemsTwo Brain SystemsMutually ExclusiveMutually Exclusive

Default Mode (DM) or Default Mode (DM) or Intrinsic NetworkIntrinsic Network

aka “Looking In”aka “Looking In”

Extrinsic NetworkExtrinsic Network

aka “Looking Out”aka “Looking Out” Daydreaming/Rest Reflection Off-line consolidation Meditation Abstract Moral Social

Emotions Thinking about

ONESELF

External Attention Goal Directed Concentration on a

task Social Media Concrete, Physical

World

Default Mode (DM) NetworkDefault Mode (DM) Network

A Better BrainA Better Brain• Efficiency with which Brain toggles between

DMDM and outward attention• Strength of connectivity between DMDM

regions during “Rest”

– Stronger DMDM connectivity (cross-talk) correlated with Higher IQ

– Posses better cognitive abilities for making connections between disparate pieces of information

• Default ModeDefault Mode NetworkNetwork Discovered 2001

• Subjects scanned with no task to perform

• Thinking about oneself/emotions

• Bi-neural setup– Concentration &

Daydreaming exclusive activities

Brain System

PAIN-based emotions

REWARD-based emotions

Social Emotions

About other

People’s

Minds

Intrinsic or Default Default ModeMode Network

Looking In

Compassion for Social Pain

Admiration for Virtue

Primary

Emotions About other

People’s

Bodies

ExtrinsicExtrinsic Network

Looking Out

Compassion for Physical Pain

Admiration for Skill

Posteromedial Cortices (PMC) of the Parietal Lobe (pink) IntrospectiveAdmiration for Virtue & Compassion for Social Pain (AV/CSP, blue → green)

Admiration for Skill & Compassion for Physical Pain (AS/CPP, orange → yellow).

Immordino-Yang M H et al. PNAS 2009;106:8021-8026

©2009 by National Academy of Sciences

Reflective Pause Activates Reflective Pause Activates DM DM Moral EmotionsMoral Emotions

• Pauses are a behavioral manifestation of DMDM neural activity

• The more a subject reflectively paused– The more cognitively abstract & complex

answers– The more DMDM activity they showed in the

scanner when recalling moral emotions– The stronger over DMDM activity was during rest

Emotions InterruptedEmotions Interrupted

• The DMDM is the pathway through which the brain processes social, moral emotionssocial, moral emotions

• However, DMDM is only active when “Looking In”• Highly vulnerable to disruption from

environmental distraction—such as:– Educational goals that consistently impose high

attention demands– Overuse of Social Media

• Result Young brains stuck in the Concrete!

Can Too Much Texting Make Can Too Much Texting Make Teens Shallow?Teens Shallow?

• Paul Trapnell, PhD, of the University of Winnipeg

• Study: Young People Who Text Frequently Focus on Wealth, Image; Less on Moral, Spiritual Goals

• 2,300 college students• Ages 18 to 22.• Texting Data collected 2007 – 2011• (Not clear if texting causes the shallows or if Shallows just text more)

• High Levels of Texting were:High Levels of Texting were:

PositivelyPositively correlated with NegativelyNegatively correlated with

Out group prejudice Materialism

Indigenous groups’ rights Moral reflectiveness Motivation to promote

social equality Perceived importance of

living with integrity

The Flight From Conversation                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Photographs by Peter DaSilva and Byron Smith, for The New York TimesBy TURKLEPublished: April 21, 2012

The Flight From ConversationThe Flight From Conversation

The New York Times

April 21, 2012

Cultivate “Looking In”Cultivate “Looking In”

• Healthy Psychological development requires opportunities and skills for “Looking InLooking In”

• Frame learning environments to teach & practice internal, self-directed processing– HS students who journaled before a test

about their beliefs about their test performance scored significantly higher

Marc Brackett, Ph.DMarc Brackett, Ph.D

• Yale University• Research Scientist • Developer of The

RULERRULER Approach to Social and Emotional Learning

• Marc Brackett TEDxTalk

The RULER ApproachThe RULER Approach• Building Emotionally

Literate Schools– Recognizing

emotions – Understanding the

causes– Labeling them– Expressing them

appropriately– Regulating them

Meta-momentsMeta-moments

• Meta-Moments and The RULER Approach• Elementary children taught to take Meta-Meta-

moments:moments:– Disengage from distracting circumstances– Reflectively evaluate feelings– Decide on a plan of action

• Significantly improve emotional well-being, self-confidence, and academic achievement.

Stronger Stronger DMDM = Stronger Learner = Stronger Learner

• Optimal attention & concentration depends upon adequate DMDM activation

• The quality of cognition during “Looking Out” is directly related to the quality and efficiency of “Looking In.”

• The skills for reflection during lapses in The skills for reflection during lapses in outward attention & the time to safely outward attention & the time to safely indulge in mind-wanderingindulge in mind-wandering– Are Critical for healthy development & optimal

learning

The Marshmallow TestThe Marshmallow Test

• The Marshmallow Test – YouTube

• Distraction/Avoidance strategy worked relatively well at resisting

• But children who imagined future possibilities (constructive internal constructive internal reflectionreflection)—ie: how good the 2nd marshmallow would taste, delayed delayed the longest!the longest!

Let the Children PlayLet the Children Play

• Inadequate opportunity for children to play & adolescents to reflect quietly and daydream may have negative consequences—– for social-emotional well-being – for Optimal concentration and attention to

tasks.

How we get this RightHow we get this Right

• ALP

• Community Day

• Independent Studies

• Community Service

• And many other ways . . .

• Dr. Zoran JosipovicDr. Zoran Josipovic • Research Scientist at NYU• Studies DMDM in meditating Monks• Monks who activate both networks =

harmonious oneness

WisdomWisdom

• Reason + Compassion• Dalai Lama Reflects on Co

mpassion• Skilled learner uses these

two networks appropriately• Moves between them with

ease• Brain toggle skills include:

– Gaze aversion– Pause, slowed speech– Closed eyes

Bibliogoraphy

• BBC News - Brains of Buddhist monks scanned in meditation study

• Rest is Not Idleness

• Can Too Much Texting Make Teens Shallow?

• Neural correlates of admiration and compassion

The Insula = GutThe Insula = Gut

• “Thinking” with your gut• Compassion for Compassion for

Physical PainPhysical Pain felt fast• Other emotions take

longer to process here• Reflection might be

needed to even “Know” what you feel.

AV = Admiration of Virtue/ CSP = Compassion for Social Pain AS = Admiration of Skill/ CPP = Compassion for Physical Pain

Immordino-Yang M H et al. PNAS 2009;106:8021-8026

©2009 by National Academy of Sciences

• “Opportunity for appropriate lapses in outwardly directed attention and high-quality introspective states, may be important for well-being and for optimal performance on focused tasks.”