English Learning: Better Dead Than Dread

For some people, the wait for potentially painful medical treatment is indeed the hardest part. Researchers from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta used magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying dread. They looked specifically at the agony of waiting for a painful procedure among 32 volunteers who had agreed to have a series of electric shocks to the foot. Some of them dreaded each shock so much they repeatedly opted to have a higher-voltage jolt just so they could get it over with. These individuals, dubbed "extreme dreaders," showed greater activity in a brain region related to both pain and attention. This indicates that dread arises not from simple fear, but from the brain's attention to the forthcoming unpleasant event.

The solution? Use a distraction such as meditation or exercise to take the focus off the anticipated event.

*magnetic resonance imaging: 磁共振成象