Brain scans show how perceived control over setbacks promotes persistence

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 4-Sep-2014

Contact: Mary Beth O'Leary
Cell Press
Brain scans show how perceived control over setbacks promotes persistence

What makes people decide whether to persist or to give up on their goals in the face of setbacks? New research publishing online September 4 in the Cell Press journal Neuron reveals that when people perceive themselves as having control over the setbacks they encounter, a particular part of the brain is engaged, and they're more likely to persist in their goals. But when people feel they have no control over setbacks, as when a student attributes a failed exam to unfair test questions rather than to correctable study habits, a separate part of the brain processes that feeling and determines whether or not the person persists.

Past research has provided insights about how brain responses to undesirable events help us learn to avoid the actions that lead to bad outcomes. We know less, however, about how we process undesirable events, such as setbacks, in ways that promote persistence rather than avoidance.

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So when people experience controllable setbacks, they can correct their mistakes and persist, but when setbacks are uncontrollable, they may need to cope with frustration and other emotions in order to persist.

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