But when I thought about this, I realized that people like me — who really suffer when we don’t get our eight hours at night — are just as important in these studies, if not more so, than guys like my friend who can handle it. If we consistently remove ourselves from the sample pool, does that affect the results?

This issue of bringing the right people into the lab is especially pertinent for individuals with social or emotional impediments.

Dr. Jason Moser, an assistant professor and researcher in MSU’s Department of Psychology, understands the problem. He studies anxiety, error processing and emotion regulation — all of which affect a population who may not be eager to submit themselves to a lab study.

“The most socially anxious people are always no-shows,” Moser said.

If they’re reluctant to come to the lab for testing, studying their disorders becomes difficult. More importantly, they might be averse to receiving proper therapy. That’s why it’s crucial for psychology researchers to explore alternative treatments for social disorders. Current methods are limited in their reach: certification in specific areas, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, is only available in certain places, and getting trained costs money.

The current generation of children is aggressively medicated. Without access to direct, easy treatment for behavioral conditions, they are simply written off with a prescription. Fortunately, researchers like Moser and his colleagues at MSU have begun the transition to developing treatment options that can be taken outside the lab.

For example, Moser’s team has examined measurable responses produced by the brain after a subject is exposed to emotionally charged images. Picture a man holding a knife to a frightened woman’s throat. If you exhibit a natural worry or alarm, your brain has just emitted a specific signal.

Now, imagine this woman is an Olympic boxer: Her mouth isn’t open in fear; she’s just taking a breath before she punches her assailant’s lights out. Feeling triumphant? Your brain should show this too.

People with anxiety disorders often have trouble with these exercises in emotion regulation. Moser believes developing a program using this sort of image and storytelling process to help individuals gain control of their emotions may lead to a simple, viable therapy. Recording data from the brain signals would provide real-time feedback on a patient’s progress. The science is there, but its applications are still in the works.

“All we know right now is we have a reliable brain response that would be a good indicator,” Moser said.

Targeting this response with specific therapeutic programs will take time. But that’s the next big step: bringing this new technology beyond the lab to those who need it most.

Recently, researchers at Harvard University have paved the way with a video game that teaches children with wild tendencies to restrain their emotional outbursts.

It’s called RAGE Control (Regulate and Gain Emotional Control), and it’s basically that old arcade standby, Space Invaders, with a twist. The goal is the same: shoot down the alien spaceships crawling down the screen. However, in this version, the player wears a special monitor on his or her little finger. When it detects the heart rate rising above the resting level, the program inhibits the player’s ability to shoot.

By forcing kids to keep their excitement under control, the game assists in developing habits of calmness and restraint from a young age. Early trials have shown promising results.

Best of all, it’s something any parent could buy.

Research into the biological mechanisms behind anxiety and emotion regulation is making huge strides in its ability to target brain responses and signals related to specific emotions. Now, it’s time to put these discoveries into practice.

It’s not just individuals with social disorders who will benefit from accessible therapy options.

“We all experience this,” Moser said. “Everybody’s anxious.”

Whether it’s due to sleep loss or the stress of college life, we could all use some extra practice in keeping our anxiety at bay and our emotions in check. And if that comes in the form of a video game or a new iPhone app, well, no one can accuse of us for playing it obsessively.

Craig Pearson is a State News guest columnist. Reach him at pears153@msu.edu.