What happens to the brain when we fail, and how to turn it to their advantage

Friedrich Nietzsche argued that what does not kill us makes us stronger. There is some truth: failure that we have to endure, make us wiser and more tolerant of other people's blunders. But it is also true that the trouble does not come alone, and one failure is usually followed by several more. It turns out that black bars have a biological explanation.

Why do not we lucky

Every time we triumphed, our brain reacts to this release of testosterone and dopamine. Over time, the signal begins to affect the brain. In animals, the more successful individuals tend to become smarter, tougher, more confident, therefore, they are more prone to future successes. Biologists call this effect the winner, and this effect works the same way in humans.

Though the term "underdog effect" in science and there is, in fact, he manifests in a similar manner. In contrast to Nietzsche's aphorism is true the following: what does not kill us makes us weak. In one study,How You Learn More from Success Than Failure. it has been observed that the monkeys who have been unable to do anything with the first attempt, and then mastered the necessary skills, still showed worse results than those who are still able to immediately.

other studiesEnhancing Performance on the Scholastic Aptitude Test for Test-Anxious High School Students. They have shown that failures can impair concentration and impair the results of future activities. For example, students who were told that the results of their work is worse than the other, really showed poor learning.

Finally, when we fail once, when a new attempt to achieve the same purpose it is likely that we again will not work. In one experiment,Getting a bigger slice of the pie. Effects on eating and emotion in restrained and unrestrained eaters. a group of participants, dieters were fed pizza, after which it was announced that they have exceeded the daily requirement of calories. Immediately thereafter, subjects ate a cookie for 50% more than those who do not adhere to the diet.

Having made a mistake, we often then again doing something wrong and we fix their failures. This explains why for one penalty is usually followed by a series of others.

Breaking the circuit failures

The next time something goes according to plan, Try to refrain from the following acts, which do not allow you to move on.

1. Do not dwell on defeat

We have always said that to learn from your mistakes, so we are thinking about them too carefully. However, some studiesThe cognitive and hedonic costs of dwelling on achievement-related negative experiences: Implications for enduring happiness and unhappiness. It shows that anxiety, anxiety and feelings of failure - the main causes of ill health.

Obsession prevents failures to solve problems effectively. When you repeatedly passed through a failed attempt to reach the target and assess them as a personal tragedy, growing uncertainty in the forces, increasing the stress in the brain are fixed involuntary reactive neuronal communication. As a result, the brain becomes each time more and more difficult to cope with the tasks and monitor the emotional state.

Rethink their failures in a different way.

Researchers believe that it is possible to edit your past failures, imagining how they diminish and disappear. You can also dilute the unpleasant memories ridiculous and improbable details.

Once you have learned a lesson from the failure, stop thinking about it. Try to remain optimistic, because a positive attitude contributes to success in all areas of life.

2. Do not grab the first thing that podvernotsya

When we do something wrong, the temptation to give up and say, "But not very much and wanted to" we immediately switch to another target. But the fact is that successful peopleAs a rule, there is a plan in case of failure. This does not mean that they are planning to lose. This means that they carefully think through the results of their achievements. When we do not have a plan, we usually choose the path of least resistance and easy victories, which only alienates us from what we really want.

It is better to put in front of a single-valued long-term goals.

provedGoal setting and task performance. That in 90% of cases clearly formulated ambitious goals lead to better results than vague. also foundHow to Make Yourself Work When You Just Do not Want To. , "Where" even the answers to simple questions, and "when" increase the likelihood of the task.

A spare in case of failure of the plan helps not to give up work on a task when difficulties arise.

3. Do not bully yourself

Anyone who has suffered defeat, does not want to go through it again, especially in the same field of activity. Because of this, sometimes we unconsciously give yourself installation like "do everything as it should, or will, like last time." Psychologists call this the motivation of avoiding failure. However, studies show that this kind of motivation increases anxiety caused by fear of possible failure. As a result, performance is reduced.

Put a positive goal and mark even the small victories.

When do you intend to achieve something, remember that clear positive goals motivate better than vague and frightening. Celebrate even the smallest achievements. This extends the joy of victory and increases motivation. When we feel the closeness of success, your brain starts to work better. In one study, this phenomenon was called the effect of magnifying glass goalSuccess / Failure Feedback, Expectancies, and Approach / Avoidance Motivation: How Regulatory Focus Moderates Classic Relations. The closer we are to the goal, the greater our motivation and productivity.

Measuring and marking his progress towards desired, we multiply the positive effects of their achievements.

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Of course, failure is inevitable. But how do you deal with them and move on, it depends on whether you will become a chronic loser, or a man who once had no luck.