Astronauts in crew missions to Mars could misinterpret vital emotional issues

Living for nearly 2 months in symbolic weight loss has a negative but widespread effect on mental performance that cannot be compromised by short periods of artificial depth, a new study published in Boundaries in Psychology. Although the mental speed of most experiments declined initially but then did not change over time in symbolic microgravity, the speed of emotional recognition continued to worsen. In an experiment, research participants were more likely to recognize facial expressions as angry and less likely to be happy or neutral.

“Astronauts on long space missions, much like our research partners, spend long periods in microgravity, confined to a small space with very few other astronauts,” reports Mathias Basner, professor in the Department of Science at Perelman University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

“The ability of astronauts to correctly read each other’s emotional expressions will be critical to effective teamwork and mission success. Our findings show that their ability to do this could be reduced. over time. “

Previous studies have shown that microgravity causes structural changes in the brain, but how this translates into changes in behavior is not fully understood. Bed rest down at a small 6-degree angle is the standard way to see the effects of microgravity on Earth. Participants for this study were kept in that position for nearly 2 months, and this is one of the first studies to tighten the tight position of the head.

“Participants regularly completed 10 space-related mental light experiments designed specifically for astronauts, such as spatial direction, memory, risk taking and emotion recognition,” Basner explains. the main goal is to find out if artificial dizziness for 30 minutes per day – either continuously or in six 5-minute beats – could prevent the side effects caused by lower movement and a head-movement of body moisture prone to microgravity. in space light. ”

Artificial gravity antifouling involved the spinning of components on a centrifuge. Positioned as an arm on a clock with the head in the middle, the participants were twisted around at a speed of 1 turn around the clock ‘every 2 seconds.

Disentanglement is needed in the future

“There are 2 ways to achieve gravity in space light: move the entire spacecraft / station, which is expensive, or just turn the astronaut. The centrifuge could be self-powered, doubling up as an opportunity for exercise, ”says Alexander Stahn, study co – author and research assistant professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. “Unfortunately, we found that artificial intelligence did not have the desired benefits in our study. We are currently conducting additional analyzes using functional brain imaging to form a neural base. identify the effects of this study. ”

In the future, the team plans to test the effects of artificial gravity further and change the level of social isolation.

“We cannot say whether the observed effects of the emotion recognition test were induced by symbolic microgravity or by the restraint and loneliness inherent in the study, with separate bedrooms and sporadic communication with the study team . Future studies need to separate these effects. ”

Current and planned research efforts seek to minimize the potential for social cohesion, including actions looking at problem-solving for team issues and providing psychological support to teams under conditions of delay. communication.

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