Study Shows Self Control Linked To Intelligence
Posted by NatureDoc | Posted in Natural Health News | Posted on 11-09-2008
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Delaying gratification, or the practice of self denial can be difficult, simply ask those who have tried to break certain habits, especially when it comes to eating — but studies demonstrate that it is a sign of intelligence to practice gratification denial. Researchers from Yale University looked at why there is a link between delayed gratification i.e. self-denial and intelligence, arriving at the conclusion it has to do with a specific area of the brain, specifically the anterior prefrontal cortex.
This portion of the brain helps us to manage complex issues and deal with simultaneous goals, resulting in better self-control. The study conducted by the Yale researchers has been published in Psychological Science.
Discover 3 Natural Remedies That Will Stop Virtually Any Pain “It has been recognized for some time that intelligence and self-control are related, but we didn’t know why. Our study implicates the function of a specific brain structure, the anterior prefrontal cortex, which is one of the last brain structures to fully mature,” writes Noah A. Shamosh, PhD.
The basics of this study went like this: researchers presented 103 healthy adults an assortment of scenarios, each involving exchanging a larger financial reward down the road for a smaller one now. The study participants were asked if they would trade $2,000 today for $40,000 in eight years? They were also asked would they exchange $30,000 today for $40,000 in two years? A mixture of dollars amounts and time delays were used.
The participants then underwent a series of tests of intelligence as well as short-term memory. On a different day, the participants underwent brain scans, specifically a functional MRI (fMRI), as they executed short-term memory tasks.
The participants who scored the highest on the intelligence tests and manifested the most restraint in the delayed gratification tests also had the highest degree of activity, as seen on the fMRI, in the anterior prefrontal cortex. Better memory was likewise linked to intelligence.
Researchers have concluded that these determinations could assist people in developing better methods of self-control.
“Understanding the factors that support better self-control is relevant to a host of important behaviors, ranging from saving for retirement to maintaining physical and mental health ,” the authors conclude.
Keith M Henry is the Director of phase 3ministries, based in Orlando FL. He is medical missionary herbalist, and Naturopathic doctor candidate. Download your free copy of his report, Emergency Herbal Medicine, HERE . It may very well save your life.
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