Changing the past in your imagination: Working with memories reduces the fear of failure

SWPS University

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Certain imagery-based techniques can reduce the fear of failure that results from difficult childhood memories, according to research by scientists from SWPS University and the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology. The researchers described their findings in a paper published in the prestigious journal Frontiers in Psychology.

Adverse childhood experiences, such as criticism, neglect, or harsh responses from caregivers, may have a long-term impact on psychological well-being and quality of life in adulthood. The way caregivers respond to a child’s failures may play a key role in shaping later emotional and cognitive patterns. A possible consequence is fear of failure, based on the belief that making mistakes leads to being perceived as less worthy.

A team of scientists from the Poznań-based Laboratory of Affective Neuroscience at the Institute of Psychology, SWPS University, and the Laboratory of Brain Imaging at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology in Warsaw investigated whether the impact of these negative memories on daily functioning can be effectively and sustainably reduced through imagery-based techniques in psychotherapy.

Does working with memories offer the possibility of lasting change?

180 young adults (between 18 and 35 years of age) experiencing fear of failure were recruited for a randomized, controlled clinical trial. Over the course of two weeks, participants completed four therapy sessions during which they worked with painful childhood memories related to criticism.

Some participants were subjected to Imagery Exposure (IE) technique, during which they were instructed to simply recall situations that evoked fear or anxiety (the active control group). The second group was administered the Imagery Rescripting (ImRs) technique, which alters the narrative of memories. This method involves recalling a distressing situation and then imagining a "defender" (e.g., a therapist) appearing there to confront the critic and support the child. The third group used the same therapeutic technique, but with a 10-minute delay procedure (ImRs-DSR), which was intended to disrupt the memory trace of the critical memory, enhancing the impact of the intervention.

Study participants completed questionnaires and participated in interviews. Their physiological parameters were also measured. Follow-up observations were conducted after three and six months.

Rescripting memories really works

It turned out that all the imagery-based techniques used in the study led to a significant and lasting reduction in fear of failure, and a reduction in negative emotions such as sadness and guilt. Physiological reactivity to memories associated with criticism also decreased, meaning that participants no longer reacted with intense stress when recalling distressing situations. This improvement was consistently sustained at follow-ups three and six months after the session, demonstrating that the psychological change was stable.

The study shows that it is possible to reduce the intensity of negative emotions and arousal associated with memories of childhood criticism. Properly selected techniques can influence how these memories are experienced, making them less burdensome, says study co-author Julia Bączek, a psychologist from the Laboratory of Affective Neuroscience at the Institute of Psychology, SWPS University.

The imagery rescripting technique was most effective when participants experienced a moment of surprise. This was due to the prediction error, which is the emergence of a discrepancy between expectations and the actual events experienced. This promotes the replacement of old, painful patterns.

We have shown that a crucial part of imagery-based therapy is creating a discrepancy between what the patient expects and what actually happens in the new memory. It is this surprise that paves the way for a lasting therapeutic change, says study co-author Stanisław Karkosz, a cognitive scientist from the Laboratory of Affective Neuroscience at the Institute of Psychology, SWPS University.

Past experiences do not have to rule us

The researchers demonstrate that by appropriately using imagery-based techniques, in which we "write" new, safe endings to old stories, we can actually change our response to today's challenges.

The results suggest that the way we experience difficult memories (including those related to failure) can change. This means that past experiences do not have to be emotionally processed in a fixed, unchanging way, Julia Bączek emphasises.

The study "Imagine yourself as a little girl…—efficacy and psychophysiology of imagery techniques targeting adverse autobiographical childhood experiences- multi-arm randomised controlled trial” is available on the Frontiers in Psychology website.

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Journal

Frontiers in Psychology

DOI

10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1710963 

Method of Research

Randomized controlled/clinical trial

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Imagine yourself as a little girl…—efficacy and psychophysiology of imagery techniques targeting adverse autobiographical childhood experiences- multi-arm randomised controlled trial

 

Boys are more motivated, while girls are more compassionate?

Girls should be kinder to themselves, boys more compassionate

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

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image: 

This illustration shows the different factors that the students were asked about. 

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Credit: Illustration: NTNU

In Year 8, there are large gender differences related to motivation and compassion, which are in turn linked to how psychologically resilient the pupils are. At least when the pupils assess themselves.

“Several factors influence motivation. We wanted to find out how lower-secondary pupils feel they are doing when it comes to these factors,” said PhD Student Vegard Renolen Litlabø at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU’s) Department of Psychology.

A total of 7260 Year 8 pupils took the questionnaire, with slightly more girls than boys participating.

Multiple forms of motivation

The pupils were asked to assess themselves in relation to:

• Passion
  • Grit
  • Growth mindset – the belief that you improve through effort
  • Self-efficacy – the belief that you can succeed at something
  • Courage
  • School well-being
  • School safety
  • Compassion (for others, for oneself, and received from others)
  • Flourishing – which is about fulfilling your potential

The gender differences were generally fairly small for all the motivational factors except ‘compassion for others’, but one striking characteristic stands out.

Boys score highest on motivation

“Boys reported significantly higher levels of passion, grit, growth mindset, self-efficacy, courage, school well-being and school safety. They also reported higher levels of compassion for themselves,” said Litlabø.

The girls generally rate themselves highest on two things:

“Girls scored significantly higher on compassion for others. They also believe that they receive more compassion from others.”

In terms of flourishing, which refers to how well you are able to fulfil your potential, there was no significant gender difference in the scores.

So, it looks like it is almost a clean sweep for the boys. However, the picture is a bit more complicated than that. The researchers also looked at correlations between the various factors.

Some stronger correlations among the girls

“Boys scored higher on all factors related to motivation. This is quite clear when we look at the factors individually. Girls, however, showed stronger correlations between self-efficacy, grit and growth mindset.”

This means we need to consider the various factors collectively. Girls show a stronger correlation between believing they can succeed, having grit, and believing they will improve through effort.

“Girls are also more strongly influenced by how safe they feel at school. They then thrive more and score even higher than boys on the compassion they receive from others and show towards themselves. But it is not the case that boys are inherently lacking in compassion – they seem to be more compassionate towards others when they receive more compassion or show greater compassion for themselves,” explained Litlabø.

This may be a sign that boys have a greater need for socio-emotional learning, i.e. developing skills to understand and manage emotions, build positive relationships, make responsible decisions and set goals.

Girls should be kinder to themselves, boys more compassionate

So, what does this mean for the pupils themselves and for the people around them who want to improve the pupils’ well-being?

According to the researchers, this means that girls in particular could benefit from increased self-efficacy and compassion towards themselves.

Perhaps girls simply need to be encouraged to believe more in their own abilities, be kinder to themselves and treat themselves better.

Many boys already have plenty of this, but they may need something different.

“Boys can benefit from developing greater compassion for others. This will not only benefit the boys themselves, but the entire school environment,” concluded Litlabø.

More research is needed to investigate how these patterns develop over time.

Reference:
Renolen Litlabø, Vegard; Haga, Monika; Richter, Isabell; Sigmundsson, Hermundur. ‘Exploring Gender Differences in Norwegian Eighth-Grade Students: The Role of Passion, Grit, Growth Mindset, Self-Efficacy, Compassion, Courage and Well-Being’. Front. Educ., 14 January 2026. Sec. Psychology in Education Volume 10 - 2025 https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1703538

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Journal

Frontiers in Education

DOI

10.3389/feduc.2025.1703538 

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Exploring gender differences in Norwegian eighth-grade students: the role of passion, grit, growth mindset, self-efficacy, compassion, courage, and wellbeing

 

Reduced international donor funding associated with higher household economic burden of Tuberculosis in low- and middle-income countries, according to modelling study

PLOS

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Number of increased tuberculosis (TB)-affected households experiencing catastrophic costs by within-country income quintile, compared to no changes in donor funding.

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Credit: Portnoy A, et al., 2026, PLOS Medicine, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Reduced international donor funding associated with higher household economic burden of Tuberculosis in low- and middle-income countries, according to modelling study

 

In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper in PLOS Medicine: https://plos.io/4tXSoAh

Article title: The potential impact of reduced international donor funding on the household economic burden of tuberculosis in low- and middle-income countries: A modeling study

Author countries: United States, United Kingdom

Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

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Journal

PLOS Medicine

DOI

10.1371/journal.pmed.1004946 

Method of Research

Computational simulation/modeling

Subject of Research

Not applicable

COI Statement

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

 SPACE/COSMOS

‘First light’ from world’s first commercial space science satellite heralds a new era for astronomical data and King’s collaborations

King's College London

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Pink: Spectrum of eta UMa acquired in a single capture by Mauve on 9 February 2026 with a 5s integration time. Blue: Hubble Space Telescope STIS spectra of the same star recorded by three grisms. Credit: Blue Skies Space Ltd.

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Credit: Blue Skies Space Ltd.

Mauve, the world’s first commercial space science satellite, has successfully achieved ‘first light’, sending back data to astronomers about the universe for the first time. 

Created by Blue Skies Space Ltd., a British space company co-founded by current King’s staff and alumni, Mauve will study stars in the ultraviolet and visible light, enabling a greater understanding of their magnetic activity, stellar flares, and how they impact the habitability of nearby exoplanets – planets that orbit stars that are not our sun. 

The start-up hopes the craft will pioneer a new era of exploration founded on low-cost, rapidly built space telescopes, delivering high-quality information about the universe directly to researchers. 

Professor Giovanna Tinetti, Vice Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences and co-founder of Blue Skies Space, said of the milestone, “The launch of Mauve has been a really emotional moment – seeing the project we worked hard for a number of years being sent to space!  

“But as a scientist the real excitement comes when the data start flowing in: seeing the first spectrum from Mauve has suddenly made me realise that we’ll soon do science with the first privately funded space science mission ever!" 

Mauve used its 13 cm spectrophotometric telescope, designed to measure and collect data on the spectrum of light emitted by stars, to observe Eta Uma, a star 104 light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major or the Great Bear. 

A hot, blue-white star, much hotter than the Sun, Eta UMa shines in ultraviolet light which makes it an ideal calibration target for an observatory collecting ultraviolet data like Mauve. 

Dr Marcell Tesseny, CEO and co-founder Blue Skies Space, as well as an alumnus from the Department of Physics, said “Blue Skies Space was founded to provide access to space science data for scientists worldwide through a fleet of small, agile satellites. The first light from Mauve is a demonstration of this vision to serve the space science community.” 

Throughout its three-year mission, Mauve also hopes to gather information on early-stage planetary evolution, test theories of gravity through examination of binary star systems and chart how stars live and die – in addition to research priorities highlighted by members of the science community who sign up to Mauve’s observational programme. 

Image of eta UMa generated using ESA Sky. Credit: ESA/DSS2 (Digitised Sky Survey). 

Credit

Credit: ESA/DSS2 (Digitised Sky Survey).

Using moon dirt to build future lunar colonies

Laser 3D printing offers sustainable foundation for in-space manufacturing

Ohio State University

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Simulated lunar dirt can be turned into extremely durable structures, potentially paving the way to more sustainable and cost-effective space missions, a new study suggests. 

Using a special laser 3D printing method, researchers melted fake lunar soil – a synthetic version of the fine dusty material on the moon surface, called regolith simulant – into layers and fused it with a base surface to manufacture small, heat-resistant objects. 

If utilized on the lunar surface, the material may help build sturdy, nontoxic habitats and tools for future astronauts, capabilities that would be vital to the NASA Artemis missions that aim to establish a long-term human presence on the moon by the end of the decade.

But to assess how well this new construction material may work in space, the team tested their fabrication process under a range of different environmental conditions, revealing that the overall quality of the material depends greatly on the surface onto which the soil is printed.  

“By combining different feedstocks, like metal and ceramics, in the printing process, we found that the final material is really sensitive to the environment,” said Sizhe Xu, lead author of the study and a graduate research associate in industrial systems engineering at The Ohio State University. “Different environments lead to different properties, which directly affect the mechanical strength and the thermal shock resistance of certain components.”

The study was recently published in the journal Acta Astronautica.

There are two types of lunar regolith simulants that scientists use to study the surface of the moon. The one this team used, called LHS-1, is designed to replicate soil found in the lunar highlands, a heavily cratered area rife with dark-colored basaltic rock. 

In this case, researchers discovered that while trying to print LHS-1 on stainless steel and glass surfaces was challenging, it adhered well to alumina-silicate ceramic, likely because the two compounds form crystals that enhance thermal stability and mechanical strength. 

Other environmental factors, such as the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere, the strength of the laser and even the speed of the printing process, were also shown to impact the stability of the structure, said Sarah Wolff, senior author of the study and an assistant professor in mechanical and aerospace engineering at Ohio State.

“There are conditions that happen in space that are really hard to emulate in a simulant,” she said. “It may work in the lab, but in a resource-scarce environment, you have to try everything to maximize the flexibility of a machine for different scenarios.”

Unsurprisingly, developing special systems for prolonged space travel is one of the most challenging aspects of successful human exploration, as technologies created for In-Situ Resource Utilization, or the harnessing of local natural resources at mission destinations, must be engineered to survive extreme vacuum, dust and thermal environmental conditions. 

To accomplish this, scientists are rapidly evolving additive manufacturing systems, which would help reduce the need to transport large quantities of materials and heavy equipment from Earth and enable astronauts to create an array of structures, tools and habitats. 

The promise of these technologies would not only save essential mission time but also allow for extended independence as crews travel into deep space. 

Still, more data is needed to overcome any potential limitations future travelers might face as they lift off for other worlds. This study, for example, suggests that instead of being powered by electricity as their printing system is on Earth, future designs of the system could likely be scaled up using solar-driven or other hybrid power architectures. 

“There are so many applications that we’re working toward that with new information, the possibilities are endless,” said Xu. 

This team’s work also extends beyond supporting humanity’s push to the stars, as gaining a better sense of how manufacturing might work in space could help researchers discover new ways to address critical material shortages back home, said Wolff. 

“If we can successfully manufacture things in space using very few resources, that means we can also achieve better sustainability on Earth,” she said. “To that end, improving the machine’s flexibility for different scenarios is a goal we’re working really hard toward.”

Other Ohio State co-authors include Marwan Haddad, Aslan Bafahm Alamdari, Annabel Shim and Alan Luo. The study was supported by Ohio State’s Institute for Materials and Manufacturing Research and the Center for Electron Microscopy and Analysis. 

#

Contact: Sarah Wolff, Wolff.357@osu.edu

Written by: Tatyana Woodall, Woodall.52@osu.edu 

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Journal

Acta Astronautica

DOI

10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.11.070 

Article Title

Laser directed energy deposition additive manufacturing of lunar highland regolith simulant

‘Water bears’ reveal potential for adapting, protecting Martian resources

Microscopic tardigrades help inform how simulated Martian soil might support plant life and mitigate contaminants shedding from human explorers, researchers report

Penn State

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image: 

Tardigrades, a type of microscopic animal, in can reveal information about how life interacts with simulated Martian mineral deposits. The three images on top are active tardigrades in a typical Earth environment of beach sand. The bottom four images active tardigrades after some time in the simulated Martian soils, with arrows noting some mineral interactions. 

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Credit: Provided by Corien Bakermans/Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Tardigrades, commonly known as water bears, may be better suited by a new name: Tardiguardians of the Galaxy. Unlike the fictional ragtag team of unenthusiastic heroes, the microscopic animals are providing real insight into how humans could adapt extraterrestrial resources to support space exploration, as well as whether such resources could help protect against the Earthly contaminants that humans might shed.

Co-led by Penn State Altoona Professor of Microbiology Corien Bakermans, an international research team recently found that tardigrade activity — a key indicator of their health — was significantly reduced when they were placed in simulated Martian regolith. That’s the loose mineral deposits covering a planet’s or moon’s bedrock, similar to soil on Earth. However, simply washing the regolith with water prior to introducing the tardigrades appeared to remove some harmful element and mostly mitigate the impact on their activity. The findings, published in International Journal of Astrobiology, are a small step towards a giant leap for humanity, according to Bakermans.

“When considering sending people to non-Earth environments, we need to understand two things: how the environment will impact the people and how the people will impact the environment,” said Bakermans, who coordinates the Penn State Altoona’s biology program. “With this research, we’re looking at a potential resource for being able to grow plants as part of establishing a healthy community — but we’re also looking at whether there are any inherent damaging conditions in the regolith that could help protect against contamination from Earth, which is a goal of planetary protection.”

Planetary protection refers to keeping extraterrestrial bodies safe from Earth contaminants and vice versa. It also strives to keep the science enabled by space exploration — whether by humans or robot — as free of contaminants as possible. The practice was agreed upon by multiple countries and is regulated by several space agencies, including NASA.

In other words, Bakermans said, if a planet contains its own defense mechanism for extraterrestrial invaders in the regolith covering its surface, then that may be one less concern for those planning space missions. However, such a mechanism would likely mean that humans hoping to establish a base would be unable to adapt the regolith to support their needs, like growing food. If the defense were strong enough, it could also directly harm humans.

“We know a lot about bacteria and fungi in simulated regolith, but very little about how they impact animals — even microscopic animals, like tardigrades,” Bakermans said, explaining that simulated regolith is designed to precisely mimic the mineral and chemical composition of what’s available on Mars’ surface. “We investigated the specific, isolated impact of the regolith on tardigrades.”

The researchers used two Martian regolith simulants, both of which mimic the regolith that NASA’s Curiosity Rover sampled from the Rocknest deposit at the Gale Crater, south of the planet’s equator. One simulant, MGS-1, was developed first to serve as a “global” regolith representing the planet’s surface at large. The other, OUCM-1, was developed later to more closely imitate the specific sampling area, which specific attention to chemical composition in addition to mineral makeup.

Bakermans mixed active tardigrades with samples of each regolith simulant and used a microscope to check their activity levels over several days.

“For the MGS-1 simulant, we saw significant inhibition — reduced activity — within two days,” Bakermans said. “It was very damaging compared to OUCM-1, which was still inhibitory but much less so.”

Tardigrades have two states: active and dormant. In their dormant state, which is typically achieved via severe dehydration, they can survive the vacuum of space, the depths of the ocean and nearly everything in between. When made active via rehydration, tardigrades are slightly more delicate but still capable of remaining active in freezing temperatures, changing food availability and other difficult conditions. The tardigrades exposed to MGS-1, however, did not exhibit activity after only two days of exposure.

“We were a little surprised by how damaging MGS-1 was,” Bakermans said. “We theorized that there might be something specific in the simulant that could be washed away.”

The researchers rinsed MGS-1 with water and mixed it with fresh tardigrades. Those tardigrades had almost no reduced activity.

“It seems that there’s something very damaging in MGS-1 that can dissolve in water — maybe salts or some other compound,” Bakermans said, noting the team was investigating further. “That was unexpected, but it’s good in a sense, because it means that the regolith’s defense mechanism could stop contaminants. At the same time, it can be washed to help support plant growth or prevent damage to humans who come in contact with it.”

Water is scarce in space, so washing regolith isn’t a perfect solution, but Bakermans said understanding that the harmful component can be washed away is helpful in building a useful knowledge base.

In addition to studying the effects of specific regolith constituents, the researchers are also exploring additional conditions — such as atmospheric pressure and temperature differences — that may impact activity.

“Regolith isn’t the only component, of course,” Bakermans said. “But we’re beginning to tease apart components of this overall system where any single piece could be a drawback or benefit the larger understanding of planetary protection.”

Matteo Vecchi, Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals at the Polish Academy of Sciences; and Gillian Pearce, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Aston University in the U.K., co-authored the paper with Bakermans.

Penn State Altoona’s Office of Research and Engagement; and the POLONEZ BIS programme, co-funded by the European Commission and the Polish National Science Centre under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND grant, supported this research.

Tardigrades in motion [VIDEO] 

The first clip shows a tardigrade on its first day in OUCM-1, moving normally. Two days later, however, the simulant began to impact the tardigrade’s ability to move normally, as seen in the second clip. The other simulant, MGS-1, inhibited activity much earlier — until it was washed with water. Then, as seen in the third clip, it barely impacted tardigrade activity at all. The non-tardigrade bits visible in the second and third clips are simulant particles.  

Credit

Provided by Corien Bakermans/Penn State

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Journal

International Journal of Astrobiology

DOI

10.1017/S1473550425100220 

Article Title

Short-term survival of tardigrades (Ramazzottius cf. varieornatus and Hypsibius exemplaris) in martian regolith simulants (MGS-1 and OUCM-1)