Why do some people knuckle under in difficult situations while others power through? The most resilient people — SEALs and adventure racers, among others — showed a burst of blood-flow activity in an area of the brain that registers sensations in the body, called the insular cortex. When the constriction actually kicked in, however, activity in the insular cortex decreased. By comparison, participants who hadn’t had special endurance training showed less insular cortex activity before the breathing restriction, and more after it. The most perseverant subjects in the studies were anticipating the sensation of restricted breathing and mentally preparing themselves for it. That preparation allowed them to keep their composure when the challenge actually arose.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Nov 2014 20:24:01 +0000
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