fMRI Research Sheds New Light on Mental Attitude

Here's one for all of the promoters of the power of positive thinking:

Neuroscientists have pinpointed the areas of the brain that help us to look on the bright side.

According to the article posted on line by Nature:

Imagining positive events in the future was accompanied by activity in two areas of the brain that usually regulate how emotion affects memory and decisions: the amygdala, buried deep within the brain, and the front portion of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which sits just behind the eyes. Conversely, activation in both these areas dropped below average when the volunteers thought about future negative events.

fMRI researchers have also been looking into the detection of confabulation with the goal of a 21st century fMRI lie detector for use in the war on terror.