Publications by authors named "Gabriela Fernandez-Theoduloz"
Social comparison is central in human life and can be especially challenging in depression and social anxiety. We assessed event-related potentials and emotions using a social comparison task in which participants received feedback on both their own and a co-player's performance, in participants with depression and/or social anxiety (n = 63) and healthy controls (n = 72). Participants reported more negative emotions for downward (being better than the co-player [participant correct, co-player wrong]) and upward (being worse than the co-player [participant wrong, co-player correct]) comparisons versus even outcomes, with these effects being stronger in depression and social anxiety.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe developmental science literature predominantly originates from WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) countries. This bias perpetuates colonial power imbalances and marginalizes non-WEIRD societies' knowledge. This special issue addresses this gap by focusing on Latin America, emphasizing the region's diverse socioeconomic, cultural, and political contexts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDepression and social anxiety are common disorders that have a profound impact on social functioning. The need for studying the neural substrates of social interactions in mental disorders using interactive tasks has been emphasized. The field of neuroeconomics, which combines neuroscience techniques and behavioral economics multiplayer tasks such as the Ultimatum Game (UG), can contribute in this direction.
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- Some studies show people felt less anxious and depressed during COVID-19, but most were done in richer countries with strict lockdowns.
- In Uruguay, where there weren't many COVID cases and the lockdown was mild, researchers looked at how time and moving around affected mental health.
- They found that over time, people reported feeling better, especially older ones, and as people started going out more, their feelings of sadness decreased.
Article Synopsis
- Depression can make it hard for people to interact with others and can lead to avoiding social situations.
- A study looked at how unmedicated depressed people reacted in a computer game where they could either play in a team or alone, and found that depressed participants often chose to play alone, even though it meant they earned less.
- The study showed that feelings of shame and guilt made depressed people avoid teamwork, while healthy participants did the opposite as they became more comfortable over time.