Mauricio Papini: “A life full of success can go into pieces when failure first occurs”
Last May, Mauricio Papini, professor at the Texas Christian University (TCU) and expert on comparative psychology, pronounced the lecture “Incentive contrast: compared analysis” at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Barcelona (UB). Papini holds a degree from the University of Buenos Aires and a PhD in Psychology from the National University of San Luis (Argentina). His research activity is centred around comparative neuroscience on anxiety and frustration. He analyses the mechanisms involved in situations related to the unexpected omission of reward, in other words, the fact that a gratifying reward of a certain action disappears. In psychology, the unexpected disappearance of these types of rewards is a source of modulation of emotions which can lead to things such as suppressing certain behaviour, turning to more aggressive behaviour, releasing stress-related hormones, modulating sensitivity to pain and consumption of addictive substances.
Last May, Mauricio Papini, professor at the Texas Christian University (TCU) and expert on comparative psychology, pronounced the lecture “Incentive contrast: compared analysis” at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Barcelona (UB). Papini holds a degree from the University of Buenos Aires and a PhD in Psychology from the National University of San Luis (Argentina). His research activity is centred around comparative neuroscience on anxiety and frustration. He analyses the mechanisms involved in situations related to the unexpected omission of reward, in other words, the fact that a gratifying reward of a certain action disappears. In psychology, the unexpected disappearance of these types of rewards is a source of modulation of emotions which can lead to things such as suppressing certain behaviour, turning to more aggressive behaviour, releasing stress-related hormones, modulating sensitivity to pain and consumption of addictive substances.
The objective of Dr Papini's research is to have a better understanding of the mechanisms behind the evolution of learning, as well as of the interface between learning, emotions and the bases of anxiety disorders from a neurobehavioural viewpoint. On his lecture, he exposed some recent data obtained from comparative studies with rats, pigeons and toads.
Can you briefly describe your research activity?
I teach animals to expect things (in this case incentives are food or water). We repeat the situation several times until they acquire an expectation of the incentive they receive, and then I break that expectation, I modify it in a negative way. Normally, I give them something acceptable but with a lower value than expected. Rats consider it unacceptable and refuse it. I am interested in this refusal.
Why?
Because it is a good model of reaction against loss that enables me to understand how human beings, in general, deal with this experience. For instance, when we lose a job, a loved one, or more trivial losses like the closing of a bar you really liked. Many everyday stressing situations have to do with loss.
What are the conclusions of the comparative studies you have carried out with rats, toads, and birds?
These animals perceive and detect the difference between what there was before and what there is now. Cognitive aspects related to detection, understanding that the situation has changed, are common to everyone. However, it seems that only mammals realize the emotional importance of these changes. Rats detect changes and they are affected in a similar way than humans. On the contrary, toads resign themselves to change, but they do not consider it important, they adapt easily without experiencing any emotional reaction. Rats also do that, but only if they have taken a tranquillizer or certain brain areas are damaged.
Could these conclusions be helpful to avoid or reduce human depression?
This type of information allows us to evaluate risk factors. For example, the risk of having cancer increases when a person loses his/her job. The loss does not produce the cancer, but it significantly accentuates cancer cell proliferation. Moreover, if we learn how to generate these reactions in an animal at the lab, we can imagine how to attenuate them by means of medication, damages, environmental manipulation, etc. It is being observed that some environmental manipulations can turn an animal genetically prone to anxiety into an animal that resists anxiety, into resilient. We want to observe how a certain type of emotional experiences can psychologically immunize an animal against severe loss situations.
Human beings need to be supported by loved ones to face a severe loss. Have you also observed this phenomenon in rats?
Yes. Group breeding determines how the animal reacts in situations of individual loss. Effects observed in group bred rats are different from those observed in rats bred in isolation. Social support makes an animal stronger. In fact, many factors affecting human beings are not at all intellectual or conscious decisions. On the contrary, they are basic factors which are rarely controlled in a volunteer way; apparently, they are irrational aspects. Nevertheless, we pay special attention to cognitive, intellectual and conscious factors.
Now, this is probably changing. We talk about emotional intelligence and emotional management. In fact, you have studied frustration for some years.
Yes. Because failure is just around the corner and frustration will arrive soon or later.
Is frustration necessary?
Absolutely. A life full of success can go into pieces when failure first occurs. A life that combines success and failure in a healthy way makes you more resilient and teaches you how to manage irremediable failure. It is crucial to get ready to face it. There must be a balance that alternates failure (less frequent) with success. If you are so much used to success, failure can be destructive. However, a life full of failure can also damage severely mental and physical health. Although we tend to deplore our mistakes, they help us to be more persistent, more positive and stronger to face everyday challenges.