UCLA neuroscience researcher Alex Korb has some insights that can create an upward spiral of happiness in your life.

Here’s what you and I can learn from the people who really have answers:

The Most Important Questions to Ask When You Feel Down

Sometimes it doesn’t feel like your brain wants you to be happy. You may feelguilty or shameful. Why?

Believe it or not, guilt and shameactivate the brain’s reward center.

Despite their differences, pride, shame, and guilt all activate similar neural circuits, including the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, insula, and the nucleus accumbens.

Interestingly, pride is the most powerful of these emotions at triggering activity in these regions — except in the nucleus accumbens, where guilt and shame win out.

This explains why it can be so appealing to heap guilt and shame on ourselves — they’re activating the brain’s reward center.

And youworry a lot too. Why?…