Re: Is physical frailty inevitable as we grow older? Optimism

[Guest guest]

The below is relevant to the discussion (written by Deric Brownd):

Ignoring the bad news...the brain's rose colored glasses

Dolan and Colleagues have done yet another fascinating piece of work, showing

brain activity that correlates with the tendency of people to remain overly

optimistic even when faced with information about a gloomy future (optimism

bias). This is another example of 'not attending to bad news'. The Sharot et al.

study shows that people are selectively worse at incorporating information about

a worse-than-expected future, and describes the learning signals in the brain

that correlate with this bias:

Unrealistic optimism is a pervasive human trait that influences domains ranging

from personal relationships to politics and finance. How people maintain

unrealistic optimism, despite frequently encountering information that

challenges those biased beliefs, is unknown. We examined this question and found

a marked asymmetry in belief updating. Participants updated their beliefs more

in response to information that was better than expected than to information

that was worse. This selectivity was mediated by a relative failure to code for

errors that should reduce optimism. Distinct regions of the prefrontal cortex

tracked estimation errors when those called for positive update, both in

individuals who scored high and low on trait optimism. However, highly

optimistic individuals exhibited reduced tracking of estimation errors that

called for negative update in right inferior prefrontal gyrus. These findings

indicate that optimism is tied to a selective update failure and diminished

neural coding of undesirable information regarding the future.

=================

http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/v14/n11/abs/nn.2949.html

Unrealistic optimism is a pervasive human trait that influences domains ranging

from personal relationships to politics and finance. How people maintain

unrealistic optimism, despite frequently encountering information that

challenges those biased beliefs, is unknown. We examined this question and found

a marked asymmetry in belief updating. Participants updated their beliefs more

in response to information that was better than expected than to information

that was worse. This selectivity was mediated by a relative failure to code for

errors that should reduce optimism. Distinct regions of the prefrontal cortex

tracked estimation errors when those called for positive update, both in

individuals who scored high and low on trait optimism. However, highly

optimistic individuals exhibited reduced tracking of estimation errors that

called for negative update in right inferior prefrontal gyrus. These findings

indicate that optimism is tied to a selective update failure and diminished

neural coding of undesirable information regarding the future.

====================

Carruthers

Wakefield, UK

> > > >

> > > > > Interesting conclusion, which I suspect hinges on defining 'frailty'.

> > > >

> > > > For sure, which is why you and I always take statements like that with a

> > > > grain of salt

> > > >

> > > > >I suspect there are better exercise or lifestyle choices than

> > > > > simply running, cycling or swimming if the goal is

> > > > > combating frailty due to aging. By this I mean it isn't enough

> > > > > just to get on a stationary bike and pedal for 30 minutes a day.

> > > >

> > > > Agreed. And let's not forget that the subjects of the study were

> > > > *competitive* runners, swimmers and cyclists. They were, I'm sure, men

> > > and

> > > > women who did brutal long and short interval workouts at least once a

> > > week.

> > > > Dr. Giarnella is right that if a person hasn't trained to the point that

> > > he

> > > > or she could compete as an endurance athlete, then he can't know how

hard

> > > > that training is. If I recall correctly, a person who isn't currently

> > > > training as an endurance athlete can maintain a power output of maybe

60%

> > > > of VO2max for 20 minutes. A competitive endurance athlete can maintain a

> > > > power output of about 85% of VO2max and is able to sustain that for an

> > > hour

> > > > or more. A person who hasn't gotten himself in shape to do a workout

like

> > > > that has no idea how much greater the suffering is at 85% of VO2max

> > > versus

> > > > 60% of VO2max. (It's not like the level of discomfort is based on power

> > > > output as a percentage of lactate threshhold.)

> > > >

> > > > Please understand, I'm not saying that strength and power athletes don't

> > > > suffer as much as endurance athletes, but rather, that the other guy's

> > > > sport always looks easier. Having deadlifted twice my bodyweight, I

> > > > understand how much suffering is involved in doing that, so I understand

> > > > that I have no idea how much more is involved in deadlifting, squatting

> > > or

> > > > C & J'ing three times my body weight. (I weigh 65kg, so the world's best

> > > are

> > > > lifting about three times body weight for those lifts in my weight

> > > bracket.)

> > > >

> > > > That aside, I think the main problem the article is the circular nature

> > > of

> > > > its argument: did the subjects avoid frailty because of their high-level

> > > > workouts, or were they able to continue their high-level workouts

because

> > > > they were genetically not frail? I think it's some of both, but the

> > > latter

> > > > is a necessary condition. Not everyone can continue to train at a

> > > > competitive level in endurance sports into their 60s and beyond. Runners

> > > > get knee and hip problems, swimmers get shoulder problems, cyclists get

> > > > back, neck and wrist problems, just for instance.

> > > >

> > > > Regards,

> > > >

> > > > s

> > > > Ardmore, PA

> > > >

> > > >