During a recent lecture at 91短视频, , PhD, demonstrated why his work has been widely featured in both the academic and popular presses. Coan, associate professor of clinical psychology and director of the Virginia Affective Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Virginia, struck a playful yet serious tone while discussing his groundbreaking study of how relationships affect emotions.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 electric shock children. Even I wouldn鈥檛 do that,鈥� Coan reassured the audience, with an infectious laugh.
At , Coan delivered a .鈥� That presentation was published as a chapter in the conference book, (Cascade Books, 2013).
On March 10, 2014, Coan brought his chock-a-block Powerpoint slides back to 91短视频 for another entertaining, anecdote-filled lecture about his neuroscience research on how simply holding a loved one’s hand can regulate stress in threatening situations.
Research shows calming effect of companionship
In his lab, Coan shows subjects threat cues on a screen that indicate a one-in-five chance of receiving a small electric shock to the ankle. Using an MRI scanner and cutting-edge brain-mapping tools, he and his colleagues observe blood flow through various regions of their brains when exposed to this threat of pain.
These threat cues and shocks are administered under three conditions: with the subjects alone, while holding the hands of strangers and while holding their spouses鈥� hands.
Coan and his team of researchers found that holding a loved one鈥檚 hand during stressful and threatening situations causes a big decrease in the response to threat when compared to being alone or holding a stranger鈥檚 hand.
In cases when their subjects, reassured by a spouse鈥檚 presence, showed a decreased threat response, Coan and other neuroscientists expected an alternate sector of the brain to 鈥渓ight up.鈥� Curiously, however, they found that no other area of the brain was doing this. This suggests, Coan says, that an expected function of the test subject鈥檚 brain was being 鈥渙utsourced鈥� to another person.
鈥淚n traditional psychology, we see the individual 鈥� the single person 鈥� as our unit of analysis. But what if that isn鈥檛 the case?鈥� asks Coan. Accordingly, he and his fellow researchers have proposed an alternative perspective, which they call 鈥渟ocial-baseline theory.鈥�
Interdependence as a survival strategy
Humans are not designed to efficiently solve problems alone, Coan continues. 鈥淲e are designed to be interdependent, always and constantly to be placed in a social frame,鈥� he says. Alone, we have to devote more of our brain鈥檚 resources to solving problems and responding to threats. 鈥淚f you are by yourself, the world is a more daunting place.鈥�
He saved the 鈥渨eirdest鈥� (his descriptor) bit for last as he postulated what folks from the world鈥檚 religious traditions will readily affirm: The 鈥渟elf鈥� is extendable and dynamic, distributed and malleable, and most at home when connected to a healthy community.
The significance of Coan鈥檚 research, says , professor of , is its suggestion that life 鈥渋s much less daunting 鈥� in a community in which you can trust that people are there for you in a moment of need.鈥� The bright side of community in the Anabaptist tradition 鈥� 鈥渟ending help to a far corner of the world or a sign-up list for bringing meals to someone who has fallen sick鈥� 鈥� is, however, not the complete picture.
Early points to 鈥渢he shadow-side of community: betrayal, conflict and histories of abuse. If we want to take seriously our mission to bring healing to the world, we will need to accept that that includes the inner world as well.鈥�
Coan鈥檚 work has been featured in the New York Times, Time, BBC News, Discovery Channel and other major media outlets, and his groundbreaking research with John Gottman appeared in Malcolm Gladwell鈥檚 bestseller Blink. He also has about . (Interestingly, his first paper describing the hand-holding research was rejected by six journals prior to its 2006 publication.)
His visit was co-sponsored by Shenandoah Anabaptist Science Society and 91短视频鈥檚 .