Mind Hacks

The Economist has a short but uplifting article on research that suggests that we underestimate how good looking we are when compared to other members of the same sex, possibly to keep us on our toes and work hard to attract a partner.

If you have ever sat alone in a bar, depressed by how good-looking everybody else seems to be, take comfort—it may be evolution playing a trick on you. A study just published in Evolution and Human Behavior by Sarah Hill, a psychologist at the University of Texas, Austin, shows that people of both sexes reckon the sexual competition they face is stronger than it really is. She thinks that is useful: it makes people try harder to attract or keep a mate.

Dr Hill showed heterosexual men and women photographs of people. She asked them to rate both how attractive those of their own sex would be to the opposite sex, and how attractive the members of the opposite sex were. She then compared the scores for the former with the scores for the latter, seen from the other side. Men thought that the men they were shown were more attractive to women than they really were, and women thought the same of the women.

This is quite an interesting finding in itself, but also seems to go in the opposite direction to most other normal cognitive biases we have, which lead us to judge ourselves in a better light than others.

The effect nicknamed the Lake Wobegon Effect is where we consistently judge ourselves to be above average compared to others.

Also, we are more likely to think that positive events happen because of our own actions, and negative events are due to other people or external factors.

Interestingly, there’s quite a bit of evidence that mental illness is associated with the loss of these positive biases, giving us a statistically more realistic but emotionally painful view of reality.

Link to Economist article.

The Financial Times has an article on recent research into Cotard delusion – a firm unshakeable belief that you’re dead – which can occur during mental illness or neurological disturbance.

The article focuses on a study by Drs Ryan McKay and Lisa Cipolotti on a patient named ‘LU’ who presented with the delusion when being assessed for the impact of severe epilepsy caused by a viral brain infection.

They describe the case in their paper:

At neuropsychological assessment LU presented with the Cotard delusion. She repeatedly stated that she was dead and was adamant that she had died two weeks prior to the assessment (i.e. around the time of her admission on 19/11/2004). She was extremely distressed and tearful as she related these beliefs, and was very anxious to learn whether or not the hospital she was in, was “heaven”. When asked how she thought she had died, LU replied “I don‚Äôt know how. Now I know that I had a flu and came here on 19th November. Maybe I died of the flu.” Interestingly, LU also reported that she felt “a bit strange towards my boyfriend. I cannot kiss him, it feels strange ‚Äî although I know that he loves me.” Other presenting symptoms included reported sensations of dizziness, as well as musical hallucinosis (hallucinations of disco music), tactile hallucinations (a feeling of running water on her left forearm) and visual hallucinations (moving walls).

The study tested theories which suggest it is caused by trying to make sense of losing automatic emotional responses to familiar people – a consequence of the brain damage.

Some researchers have argued that this is the basis of a similarly curious syndrome, known as Capgras delusion, where someone believes that their friend, spouse or relative has been replaced by a near-identical looking impostor.

In Capgras delusion, it is thought that the same problem with automatic emotional response is present, but that the person attributes the problem to external changes in the world (“it’s something to do with my wife…”) and reasoning problems lead to the delusion itself (“…and she’s been replaced by an impostor”).

In contrast, one theory of Cotard delusion is that it might be partly caused by the same emotional response impairment, but where the person attributes it to an internal change (“it’s a problem with me…”) with reasoning problems leading to the delusional belief (“…and the problem is, I’m dead”).

So far, this has only been an educated guess by researchers and has never been tested.

McKay and Cipolotti assessed whether LU typically made internal or external attributions for negative events, and found, consistent with the existing hypothesis, that she made consistent internal attributions.

One unexplained part, both in this study, and in delusions in general, is why these unusual experiences and odd attributions lead to delusions, and not simply to confusion (e.g. “people feel strange, I think it’s a problem with me, but and I don’t know what to make of it”).

It is thought that reasoning problems or cognitive biases are involved, most likely caused by damage or disturbance to the right hemisphere of the brain.

However, there is still little conclusive evidence for the very striking reasoning errors you might expect with such strikingly unusual delusions.

Link to FT article ‘Deadly serious’.
Link to abstract of scientific study.

ABC News report that Oakland police tasered a man having an epileptic seizure because he became agitated when restrained. They subsequently prosecuted him for assault and disorderly conduct. You couldn’t make it up if you tried.

From a press release from the Epilepsy Foundation:

The case in Michigan involved Daniel Beloungea, who was taking a daily walk in his neighborhood when he experienced a complex partial seizure, which left him in a state of semi-consciousness. Complex partial seizures are associated with repetitive involuntary movements, sometimes for up to 30 minutes, with post-seizure disorientation. Beloungea needs to walk daily as a form of rehabilitation to help restore functioning in his legs; this functioning was impaired following brain surgery to treat his seizures. A person passing by noticed Mr. Beloungea acting erratically and called police to report his behavior. When officers arrived on the scene, they apparently assumed that his failure to respond to their questions and his erratic involuntary movements amounted to resistance, and failed to recognize the obvious signs of a seizure. Furthermore, they failed to inspect the medical alert bracelet he was wearing, which indicates clearly that he has epilepsy.

According to police reports, when Mr. Beloungea was unresponsive to police direction, the bag he was carrying was kicked by police from his hand, and when he flailed his arms involuntarily, he was tasered, sending 50,000 volts of electricity through his body (risking serious injury or death); hit with a police baton; threatened at gunpoint; and handcuffed behind his back. (The handcuffing itself is dangerous for persons experiencing a seizure, as it can lead to further seizure-related agitation and struggling, possibly causing asphyxiation or even cardiac arrest.) He was then prosecuted for assaulting police officers and disorderly conduct, notwithstanding considerable evidence, including the state’s own mental health evaluation, confirming that his actions were involuntary and solely the product of a seizure.

There’s more in an article from The Oakland Press and there’s an article and two video clips from ABC News.

The video clips are interesting, as they show Beloungea being recorded as part of a clinical EEG investigation for epilepsy.

The videos have recordings of his behaviour and recordings from his brain synchronised together.

The second clip shows what most people might think of as an epileptic seizure – someone who’s obviously not with it, making repetitive movements.

The first clip, also shows a seizure (look for the intense EEG activity), but his movements seem more coordinated and purposeful.

Complex partial seizures are where the person has impaired consciousness (complex), where only a part of the brain is involved (partial) and where neurons are taken over by synchronous waves of activity and can’t continue their normal operation (seizure).

Because of the selective nature of these seizures, they tend only to affect certain brain functions, often leading to actions that are carried out without conscious control.

We know that the more we practice actions the less conscious effort is needed to carry them out, and that we only need to intervene consciously when special care or attention is needed. Driving a car or riding a bike are classic examples.

It is possible that in some people with complex partial seizures, consciousness becomes so disconnected from action that ‘best guess’ automatic actions are carried out but without awareness of the details which might otherwise inhibit the person’s inappropriate responses.

For example, in the first video clip, Beloungea has to be prevented from removing the EEG recording equipment. It may be annoying, but people with awareness will put up with annoyance for the sake of the medical assessment. During a seizure, this ability to inhibit automatic responses can be lost.

There are many reports in the medical literature of people carrying out actions during a seizure that they would normally prevent themselves from doing – such as a vegetarian eating a sausage.

It seems the police weren’t trained to recognise someone having this type of epileptic seizure, which seems a preventable but tragic oversight.

How Beloungea came to be prosecuted for actions which the court accepted were beyond his control seems much more bizarre and worrying.

If you want to learn how to recognise and help someone who is experiencing an epileptic seizure, there’s more information here.

Link to ABC News story and video clips.
Link to Oakland Press story.
Link to Epilepsy foundation press release.
Link to excellent discussion from Afarensis.
Link to ‘First-aid for seizures’.

The New York Times has a short but interesting article on people who find intimate relationships stressful and bad for their mental health.

A close relationship is considered almost universally beneficial, but some people seem to find relationships difficult to deal with, even when they’re going well.

Interestingly, the article describes this as a ‘schizoid’ trait, which is usually considered to be the lack of emotional attachment seen in some people with schizophrenia (although not in all by any means).

While it is a clich√© to say that people with autism or Asperger’s syndrome are loners, many do find intimate relationships difficult, and it’s curious that the article doesn’t mention this as a possible link.

Outsiders is a UK charity set-up by Dr Tuppy Owens to help people who are disabled or socially isolated with starting and maintaining relationships, and has been working in this field for many years.

Link to NYT article ‘Like a Fish Needs a Bicycle’ (thanks Paul and Candace!)
Link to Outsiders.

A list of delusions taken from the psychiatric literature that don’t seem that delusional when you think about them:

“The earth is doomed”
– Patient with Alzheimer’s reported by Sultzer et al. (2003)

“Bill Gates is destroying my files and spying on me”
– 32 year old patient reported by Podoll et al. (2000)

“A local gang is going to mug me”
– South London patient reported by Freeman et al. (2001)

“I drove two people mad when I was 11 to 14 years old”
– Patient from a study by Rhodes and Jakes (2000)

“My thoughts are being controlled by TV newscasters”
– Inpatient reported by Noffsinger and Saleh (2000)

To quote Salvidor Dali “The only difference between me and a madman is that I’m not mad”.