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In 1992, biologists at the University of Parma, Italy made an interesting discovery when looking at the brain of macaque monkeys. It was already known that the brain cells in the premotor cortex (where movement of the body is planned) activate just before the monkey operates its body to grab something or accomplish some task. They then found that these neurons also activate when the monkey saw someone else (whether monkey or human) do something.
The pattern of activation in these neurons is exactly the same whether the monkey is doing a task such as peeling a banana or watching someone peel a banana. These neurons have been named Mirror neurons.
It turns out that the human brain has Mirror neurons too. They may be how we understand the intentions of other people – important in learning social skills. Scientists in a recent study using brain scans looked at the brains of some volunteers as they watched a video of a hand reaching for a mug in different scenarios. The difference in activity in the Mirror neurons suggest hat they don’t just recognize actions, but are involved in working out people’s intentions. It appears that people have specific neurons that program the “why” of some action so as to predict the behavior of others according to Prof. Marco Iacoboni of UCLA. This may be what makes social interactions possible.
Researchers attending the recent American Association of the Advancement of Scientists said that Mirror neurons activate identically whether we are performing a particular task or watching someone else perform that same task. The neurons seem to make an equivalent of “what others do and feel and what we do and feel”. Seemingly, we don’t just see an action, we also believe we have some experience of what it feels like to someone else. It’s as if Mirror neurons are attempting to “recreate the experience of others within ourselves according to UCLA’s Mark Thompson. He says, “ They “allow us to put ourselves in the shoes of another”. This suggests that they are the neural basis of empathy.
From a Cognitive Behavioral perspective, one can imagine that if I misinterpret the action I am seeing performed, or if the individual I am modeling has a perspective or feeling different from mine regarding this task, my Mirror neurons are going to interpret what I am experiencing incorrectly. If this particular action I am observing is repeated and I continue to make an incorrect interpretation, I will likely end up operating with this wrong understanding of what is going on in this situation until something happens to conflict with my interpretation- like therapy.
Sound familiar? Patterns of observed and experienced behavior are how all of our thoughts, feelings and behaviors are shaped. Mirror neurons may provide a neurological basis for how we develop so many thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are not beneficial to us and that keep us from being happy in life.
Thankfully we can change those patterns.
If you find yourself in repetitive patterns of frustration, worry and unhappiness, contact CCPsychological.
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