Mixed emotions – neuroscience is exploring how your brain lets you experience two opposite feelings at once
The article explores the concept of mixed emotions, particularly in meaningful life transitions like a child’s first day at college. It discusses scientific research on how mixed emotions are represented in the brain, highlighting that certain brain regions can process complex states allowing simultaneous positive and negative feelings.
Countless parents across the country recently dropped their kids off at college for the first time. This transition can stir a whirlwind of feelings: the heartache of parting, sadness over a permanently changed family dynamic, the uncertainty of what lies ahead – but also the pride of seeing your child move toward independence. Some might describe the goodbye as bittersweet, or say that they’re feeling mixed emotions.
In that scenario, what would you do if I asked you to rate how you felt on a scale from 1-9, with 1 being the most negative and 9 the most positive? This question seems silly given the circumstances – how should you rate this blend of bad and good? Yet, this scale is what psychology researchers often use to survey feelings in scientific studies, treating emotions as either positive or negative, but never both.
I’m a neuroscientist who studies how mixed emotions are represented in the brain. Do people ever truly feel both positive and negative at the same time? Or do we just switch quickly back and forth?
If you’re walking in the woods and see a bear, your heart rate and breathing accelerate, giving you the urge to flee – likely helping you make a decision that keeps you alive. Many scientists would label that reaction as the emotion of “fear.”
Similarly, warm feelings around loved ones make you want to stay around them and nurture those relationships, helping strengthen your social network and support system.
But mixed emotions do not fit into this framework. If opposite biological systems inhibit each other, and if emotions are biological, you can’t experience opposites in the same moment. This reasoning would mean it’s impossible to hold two opposite emotions at once; you must instead be flipping back and forth. Ever since scientists proposed the first theories on the biological foundations of emotion, this is how they’ve conceptualized mixed emotions.The pride, love and sadness that mingle when a parent drops off a child at college comprise a classic mixture of emotions. fstop123/E+ via Getty Images
For instance, people across cultures experience some feelings, such as nostalgia and awe, as simultaneously positive and negative.
One research group found that volunteers’ physiological responses – such as heart rate and skin conductance – display unique patterns during experiences that are both disgusting and funny, compared with either category separately. This implies that disgusted and amused reactions are indeed occurring simultaneously to create something new.
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In a seemingly contradictory finding, research that used functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, to study brain responses to disgusting humor did not find a pattern of brain activity that was distinct from plain disgust. The brain states of people reporting being both disgusted and amused seemed to reflect only disgust – not a unique pattern for a new mixed emotion.
But fMRI studies generally rely on averaging brain activity across people and time. The heart of the question – experiencing truly mixed emotions versus fluctuating between positive and negative states – concerns what the brain is doing over time. It is possible that by looking at the average brain activity across time, scientists end up with a pattern that looks a lot like one emotion – in this case, disgust – but are missing important information about how activity changes or stays the same second-to-second.
While in the MRI machine, participants watched a bittersweet animated short film about a young girl’s lifelong pursuit, with her father’s support, to become an astronaut. Spoiler alert: Her dad dies. After scanning, those same subjects rewatched the video and labeled the exact times they had felt positive, negative and mixed emotions.Researchers looked for brain areas with above average (red) or below average (blue) activity during moments in Taiko Studio’s ‘One Small Step’ that elicited mixed emotions. Taiko Studios and University of Southern California Dornsife Office of Communications
My colleagues and I discovered that mixed emotions didn’t show unique, consistent patterns in deeper brain areas like the amygdala, which plays an important role in quick responses to emotionally important items. Strikingly, the insular cortex, a part of the brain that connects deeper brain regions with the cortex, had consistent and unique patterns for both positive and negative emotions, but not for mixed ones. We took this finding to mean that regions such as the amygdala and insular cortex were processing positive and negative emotions as mutually exclusive.
These brain regions in the cortex that carry out more advanced functions appear to represent much more complex states, allowing someone to truly feel a mixed emotion. Brain regions such as the anterior cingulate and ventromedial prefrontal cortex integrate many sources of information – essential for being able to form a mixed emotion.
This study revealed something new about how complex feelings are formed in the brain, but there is much more to learn.
Mixed emotions are so interesting, in part, because of their potential role during important life events. Sometimes, mixed emotions help you cope with big changes and turn into cherished memories. For example, you may experience both positive and negative feelings when your friends throw a big going away party before you move to another city for your dream job.
Other times, mixed emotions are an ongoing source of distress. Even if you know you should break up with a romantic partner, that doesn’t mean all the positive feelings you have about them automatically go away, or that a split won’t bring some pain.
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What leads to this difference in outcome? Might these differences have to do with how the brain represents these mixed emotional states over time? A better understanding of mixed emotions might help people make sure these kinds of strong feelings become cherished memories that help them grow, instead of a distressing goodbye they fail to get over. https://www.youtube.com/embed/IoVbd_dZYMk?wmode=transparent&start=0 Mixed feelings elicited unique neural activity in particular areas of the brain.
Our Lifestyle section on STM Daily News is a hub of inspiration and practical information, offering a range of articles that touch on various aspects of daily life. From tips on family finances to guides for maintaining health and wellness, we strive to empower our readers with knowledge and resources to enhance their lifestyles. Whether you’re seeking outdoor activity ideas, fashion trends, or travel recommendations, our lifestyle section has got you covered. Visit us today at https://stmdailynews.com/category/lifestyle/ and embark on a journey of discovery and self-improvement.
Swisse Launches Glam Bites: Zero-Sugar Beauty Gummies Designed for Busy Routines
Swisse launches Glam Bites: delicious beauty gummies with zero sugar, no sugar alcohols, and no artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners—designed to support beauty from within.
Swisse Launches Glam Bites: Zero-Sugar Beauty Gummies Designed for Busy Routines
Swisse, the premium supplement brand under Health & Happiness (H&H) Group and a Certified B Corp, is kicking off 2026 with a new way to support “beauty from within.” The company just introduced Swisse Beauty Glam Bites, a line of zero-sugar beauty gummies made with science-backed ingredients—without the usual “junk” found in many gummy supplements. Positioned for today’s always-on lifestyle, Glam Bites aims to make daily self-care feel less like another task and more like a quick, enjoyable habit: bite, nourish, and glow.
What makes Glam Bites different?
Gummy supplements are popular, but they often come with tradeoffs—added sugars, sugar alcohols, artificial flavors, or ingredients that don’t align with cleaner-label preferences. Swisse is leaning into the opposite approach. According to the company, Glam Bites are crafted with:
Zero sugar
No sugar alcohols
No artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners
Gluten-free
Free from major allergens (milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, sesame)
That “clean but still tasty” promise is a big part of the launch—especially as more shoppers look for supplements that fit into wellness routines without feeling like a compromise.
A beauty routine that starts from the inside
Swisse is framing Glam Bites as a simple daily add-on that supports skin, hair, and nails through targeted micronutrients. Leading dietitian Dana A. White highlighted the brand’s approach in the announcement, noting that Glam Bites deliver “powerful, science-driven beauty benefits” through a precisely balanced blend of nutrients—while keeping the formula free from artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners.
The Glam Bites lineup (available now)
Swisse launched Glam Bites in three formulas, each with its own ingredient blend and naturally flavored profile.
1) Hair Skin Nails Glam Bites
Price/Count: $19.99 (60 count)
Key ingredients: Biotin, Zinc, Bamboo Extract
What it supports: Stronger hair and nails, plus skin firmness and elasticity*
Flavor: Blood orange (naturally flavored)
2) Glow Skin Glam Bites
Price/Count: $24.99 (60 count)
Key ingredients: Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamins C & E, Sea Moss, Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen Peptides
What it supports: Collagen production, improved elasticity, and a stronger skin barrier*
Flavor: Blueberry lavender (naturally flavored)
3) Skin Defense Glam Bites
Price/Count: $24.99 (60 count)
Key ingredients: Astaxanthin, L-Glutathione, Green Tea Extract
What it supports: Healthy aging, even skin tone, and antioxidant protection against environmental stressors*
Flavor: Raspberry green tea (naturally flavored)
Why gummies—and why now?
Swisse is launching Glam Bites at a time when gummies are increasingly becoming the preferred supplement format for younger consumers. The company cited research showing:
45% of Gen Z and 31% of millennials favor gummy supplements.
74% of U.S. personal care buyers agree that skin health reflects overall health.
In other words: the market is shifting toward convenience, better taste, and wellness products that connect beauty with whole-body health.
A global wellness brand expanding its portfolio
Swisse was founded in Australia in 1969 and has grown into a global wellness name known for premium supplements made with ingredients backed by scientific research and produced under world-class manufacturing standards. With Glam Bites, the brand is clearly betting on a “cleaner gummy” future—one that fits modern routines and modern label expectations.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Our Lifestyle section on STM Daily News is a hub of inspiration and practical information, offering a range of articles that touch on various aspects of daily life. From tips on family finances to guides for maintaining health and wellness, we strive to empower our readers with knowledge and resources to enhance their lifestyles. Whether you’re seeking outdoor activity ideas, fashion trends, or travel recommendations, our lifestyle section has got you covered. Visit us today at https://stmdailynews.com/category/lifestyle/ and embark on a journey of discovery and self-improvement.
How C-reactive protein outpaced ‘bad’ cholesterol as leading heart disease risk marker
C-reactive protein (CRP) is a key inflammation marker that can predict heart attack and stroke risk—often better than LDL cholesterol. Here’s why it matters.
C-reactive protein is created by the liver in response to infections, tissue damage, chronic inflammatory states from conditions like autoimmune diseases, and metabolic disturbances like obesity and diabetes. Essentially, it is a marker of inflammation – meaning immune system activation – in the body. C-reactive protein can be easily measured with blood work at the doctor’s office. A low C-reactive protein level – under 1 milligram per deciliter – signifies minimal inflammation in the body, which is protective against heart disease. An elevated C-reactive protein level of greater than 3 milligrams per deciliter, signifies increased levels of inflammation and thus increased risk for heart disease. About 52% of Americans have an elevated level of C-reactive protein in their blood. Research shows that C-reactive protein is a better predictive marker for heart attacks and strokes than “bad,” or LDL cholesterol, short for low-density lipoprotein, as well as another commonly measured genetically inherited biomarker called lipoprotein(a). One study found that C-reactive protein can predict heart disease just as well as blood pressure can.
Why does inflammation matter in heart disease?
Inflammation plays a crucial role at every stage in the development and buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries, which causes a condition called atherosclerosis that can lead to heart attacks and strokes. From the moment a blood vessel is damaged, be it from high blood sugar or cigarette smoke, immune cells immediately infiltrate the area. Those immune cells subsequently engulf cholesterol particles that are typically floating around in the blood stream to form a fatty plaque that resides in the wall of the vessel. This process continues for decades until eventually, one day, immune mediators rupture the cap that encloses the plaque. This triggers the formation of a blood clot that obstructs blood flow, starves the surrounding tissues of oxygen and ultimately causes a heart attack or stroke. Hence, cholesterol is only part of the story; it is, in fact, the immune system that facilitates each step in the processes that drive heart disease.Fatty plaque buildup in the arteries causes a blockage that starves tissues of oxygen and can lead to a heart attack or stroke.wildpixel/iStock via Getty Images Plus
Does cholesterol still matter for heart disease risk?
Though cholesterol may not be the most important predictor of risk for heart disease, it does remain highly relevant. However, it’s not just the amount of cholesterol – or more specifically the amount of bad, or LDL, cholesterol – that matters. Two people with the same cholesterol level don’t necessarily have the same risk for heart disease. This is because risk is determined more so by the number of particles that the bad cholesterol is packaged into, as opposed to the total mass of bad cholesterol that’s floating around. More particles means higher risk. That is why a blood test known as apolipoprotein B, which measures the number of cholesterol particles, is a better predictor of risk for heart disease than measurements of total amounts of bad cholesterol. Like cholesterol and C-reactive protein, apolipoprotein B is also influenced by lifestyle factors like exercise, weight loss and diet. Nutrients like fiber, nuts and omega-3 fatty acids are associated with a decreased number of cholesterol particles, while increased sugar intake is associated with a larger number of cholesterol particles. Furthermore, lipoprotein(a), a protein that lives in the wall surrounding cholesterol particles, is another marker that can predict heart disease more accurately than cholesterol levels. This is because the presence of lipoprotein(a) makes cholesterol particles sticky, so to speak, and thus more likely to get trapped in an atherosclerotic plaque. However, unlike other risk factors, lipoprotein(a) levels are purely genetic, thus not influenced by lifestyle, and need only be measured once in a lifetime.
What’s the best way to prevent heart disease?
Ultimately, heart disease is the product of many risk factors and their interactions over a lifetime. Therefore, preventing heart disease is way more complicated than simply eating a cholesterol-free diet, as once thought. Knowing your LDL cholesterol level alongside your C-reactive protein, apolipoprotein B and lipoprotein (a) levels paints a comprehensive picture of risk that can hopefully help motivate long-term commitment to the fundamentals of heart disease prevention. These include eating well, exercising consistently, getting adequate sleep, managing stress productively, maintaining healthy weight and, if applicable, quitting smoking.Mary J. Scourboutakos, Adjunct Assistant Professor in Family and Community Medicine, Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
How to reduce gift-giving stress with your kids – a child psychologist’s tips for making magic and avoiding tears
Reduce gift-giving stress with kids: A child psychologist shares practical rules for stress-free gift giving with kids—how many gifts to give, what holds attention, and how to avoid holiday tears.
’Tis the season … for gift-buying stress. Photo by Ryan Miller/Invision/AP
How to reduce gift-giving stress with your kids – a child psychologist’s tips for making magic and avoiding tears
Angela J. Narayan, University of Denver As a child, I loved being the center of attention. So it was a problem when my baby brother was born a day before my birthday. For years, I would beg my parents for a birthday gift “one day early.” My laid-back brother remembers thinking, “I don’t care about presents. Just give her mine!” As an associate professor and child psychologist at the University of Denver who studies child development and parenting, I’ve come to learn about these types of challenges associated with gift giving. The holidays, while a magical time, can also be stressful. Society places an expectation on parents to buy gifts, regardless of their financial circumstances, and children themselves often feel a variety of complex emotions. How children react to getting presents is partially linked to temperament, which is the variety of ways that children experience, perceive and interact with the world. Temperament is the precursor to personality – some people are introverts, while others are extroverts. Temperament is partially heritable. That means an introverted parent who feels social pressure to buy many gifts for their shy and easily overwhelmed child may be inadvertently causing stress. Faced with this holiday conundrum, I’m often asked questions like “Is there a magic number of gifts to give my kids?” or “What gifts will hold my child’s attention the longest?” While there isn’t an easy answer to either question, these tips and tricks can help parents be more thoughtful and intentional about gift giving, especially for children who are young.
The age rule
Young children cannot focus on a lot of things at once. A good rule of thumb is that a 1-year-old can focus only on one thing at a time. A 2-year-old can maybe focus on two things at most, and a 3-year-old maybe three things, and so on. Stop at five. Very few children actually need more than five gifts, so feel free to go lower.
The attention rule
I have often searched for the magical gift that will keep my children occupied for hours, and so far I haven’t found it. What I have found is that my children – ages 5 and 7 – get excited about the things that I get excited about. So I try to buy things that I think are fun. Ask yourself what you would like to play with if you got to be a child again. I bet your children would be eager to join you in those things.
The games rule
Card and board games are great gifts, often inexpensive, fun for many ages – excepting babies, of course – and capable of holding attention for a long time. Plus, they usually don’t take up much storage space. I love giving my kids games that are not only fun but also teach them helpful skills. Collaborative games for preschoolers and early school-age children like the Fairy Game and Outfoxed teach problem-solving, teamwork and early reasoning skills. Games for elementary-age children, such as Sorry and Battleship, teach kids how to manage difficult situations, like not always being in the lead, being a good sport even if you’re behind, and losing gracefully. Timeless card games like Uno and Memory, and newer ones like Sleeping Queens and Exploding Kittens, are great for using working memory, thinking flexibly, persisting and strategizing. Most importantly, playing games together supports positive family time, which is an excellent antidote to stress, bad moods or boredom.
The pressure rule
Imagine the holiday experience through the eyes of each of your children. Some children relish receiving gifts, like I did. Others, however, may feel self-conscious, overwhelmed by the sensory overload – all the textures, commotion and bright colors, not to mention people staring at them. The elements of surprise combined with the unspoken social pressure to be gracious and well regulated are challenging for any young child. We expect small children to contain their excitement, delay gratification and react positively to the surprise. And then come up with a polite response. These are all complex requests, rarely directly or explicitly taught. It’s no wonder that many children show negative emotions, have tantrums, or even just say, “I’m tired!” during holiday celebrations. That’s why beyond the precise nature of “the perfect gift,” we shouldn’t lose sight of what we should be doing. And that is investing in togetherness and helping kids learn skills like being patient and taking turns, strengthening memory capacities, planning ahead, not giving up, and that being a team player will pay off later. These skills pave the way for longer sustained attention, focus and concentration, as well as confidence. My 7-year-old is becoming a skillful chess player because we have taught him the rules and strategy and helped him practice. Maybe this is the real magical gift – not the purchase itself, but the decision to invest in time with your child early. Angela J. Narayan, Associate Professor, Clinical Child Psychology Ph.D. program, University of Denver This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Mary J. Scourboutakos, Adjunct Assistant Professor in Family and Community Medicine, Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
