Feeling Bummed? How Disappointment Works in the Brain

The finding could lead to a new class of drugs to treat depression, researchers say. That downer feeling involves the finely tuned, simultaneous firing of two different neurotransmitters in the brain. It is the ratio of the two neurotransmitters — one enhancing and one dampening positive feelings — that determines where on the disappointment spectrum you'll fall, from "oh well" to "total bummer." The scientists call this dual firing of neurotransmitters, which sets off the human sense of disappointment, a "dimmer switch" — essentially the neurochemical underpinnings for calling the proverbial glass of water half empty or half full. Read More http://ift.tt/1DIOmxi