Hypnotic suggestions of safety reduce neuronal signals of delay discounting.

ABSTRACT: Waiting for delayed rewards is important to reach long-term goals, yet most people prefer immediate rewards. This tendency is called delay discounting. Evidence shows that people are more willing to wait for delayed rewards when they believe that the delayed reward is certain. We hypothesized that feeling safe makes delayed outcomes subjectively more certain, which should in turn reduce neuronal signals of delay discounting. We hypnotized 24 highly suggestible participants and gave them a suggestion to feel safe. We then used EEG to measure their brain responses to immediate and delayed rewards while they played a delayed gratification game. As compared to a control condition without hypnosis, participants that were suggested to feel safe under hypnosis reported feeling significantly safer

SUBMITTER: Schmidt B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7851403 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature