Center for Behavioral Decision Research

CBDR : Seminar Series : Seminar by Richard Davidson

“Order and Disorder in the Emotional Brain”

	presented by Richard Davidson (University of Wisconsin-Madison)


	Monday, January 26	link to paper
	4:30pm
	Baker A53	link to Speaker's Site

	Abstract:

	Emotions are at the core of human personality, they define each person’s uniqueness and they shape resilience and vulnerability to adversity. Perhaps the single most salient characteristic of emotion is the variability across individuals in how each responds to emotional cues and challenges. This variability is termed “affective style.” Different parameters of affective style can be objectively measured and are instantiated in different underlying neural circuits. Activation patterns assessed with neuroimaging is related to different parameters of affective style and is consistent over time within individuals. Specific patterns of brain activity are related to vulnerability to particular types of disorders. Moreover, patterns of central brain function are related to peripheral biological systems that play a role in physical health and illness. Despite their consistency over time within individuals, these patterns of neural activity are not immutable to change but rather can be transformed through systematic mental training such as meditation. The literature on neuroplasticity provides a framework for understanding these changes. This latter body of evidence supports the view that happiness, well-being and emotional balance are best regarded as the product of trainable skills.

	Host at CMU: Psychology Colloquium