Dr Toby Wise, a neuroscientist at King’s College London, is researching the neural and computational mechanisms underpinning symptoms of mood and anxiety disorders, with a particular focus on repetitive negative thought patterns. He is using this knowledge to explain why Christmas Day can feel a bit disappointing.
Dr Wise said: “Even though Christmas is associated with joy and happiness, not everyone feels it in the moment, especially as the calendar gets closer to the 25th. It might be that there is a very good reason for us preferring the buildup to Christmas Day rather than the day itself – underpinned by signals in our brains.
“My research at King’s College London centres around uncertainty, prediction and decision-making, and how these can shape emotional experience and mental health.”
Anticipating the future
Dr Wise said: “Much of our feelings of disappointment stem from how we expect the future to be, versus how it actually plays out. The difference between our imagined future and what happens is known as a prediction error. Prediction errors can be seen as a mismatch between the brain’s expectations and the sensory information it processes when the real-life event occurs.
“You could have a positive prediction error, where the outcome is better than what you had expected, or negative – where the outcome is worse. The mismatch causes the brain to release signals that update how it views the outside world, which is a key component of learning, aided by the brain’s ability to adapt and create new pathways.
“In the case of Christmas celebrations, we might spend much of December anticipating how Christmas Day will be, putting ourselves in the shoes of our future self. We might imagine a delicious meal, wonderful gifts and a happy time with our family and friends, for example.
“If you had built up a scenario in your head where Christmas was idyllic, you might feel disappointed when it doesn’t quite live up to your expectations.”
Prediction errors might also be involved in psychiatric disorders – a key focus for Dr Wise’s research. Dr Wise added: “My research at King’s has revealed how prediction errors influence a variety of mental health conditions. In depression, negative prediction errors might be exaggerated, contributing to a general low mood and lack of excitement about the future. In anxiety, we overexaggerate our imagination of terrible scenarios, leading to heightened prediction error responses even when no danger is posed. This can cause us to feel on edge and uncertain, as we’re always imagining the worst and are constantly surprised by what happens.”
Imagination vs reality
“Several areas of the brain are involved in expectation, but a very important part is the prefrontal cortex”, explained Dr Wise. “The prefrontal cortex, located at the front of the brain, is responsible for complex cognitive behaviour, including imagining future scenarios.
“What’s really striking is the neural circuits involved in an imagined good scenario and a real-life good scenario are much the same. To an extent, when you’re imagining Christmas, your brain is acting as if it’s already Christmas Day.
“That could explain why some people feel so excited about Christmas in the days that lead up to it – and why some people even prefer Christmas Eve. They are imagining the perfect Christmas day, as if they are really experiencing it. Of course, when Christmas Day does not live up to these expectations, we can feel disappointed.
“My research at King’s explores how cognitive maps are involved in anticipating events. In 2023, we explored how the brain encodes a ‘map’ of what we think will happen, helping to imagine scenarios.
“For Christmas, your map may include family togetherness, gifts and festive foods. In the weeks leading up to the big day, your brain builds a map of the day with predicted rewards.
“If, on the day, reality doesn’t live up to this expectation, the brain identifies a prediction error. The brain adjusts the map it has created and can influence expectations in the future.”
Gift anxiety
Dr Wise said: “One common experience on Christmas Day might be the excitement, or disappointment, we feel when opening gifts from loved ones. Again, this can be linked to prediction errors in our brains.
“You might notice you don’t feel any disappointment when opening a small secret Santa gift from someone who didn’t even know they were buying for you. This is because we have not raised our expectations too high, so an uninspiring gift isn’t a big surprise and doesn’t leave us disappointed.
“In contrast, you will likely expect a much more personal and thoughtful gift from a partner or parent. If the gift doesn’t meet our expectations, we have had a prediction error. The image our brains have created of a meaningful present does not match the reality, and dopamine in the brain is momentarily silenced. In contrast, we often feel that the most exciting and memorable gifts are the ones that are better than we expected.”
Being in the moment
To get as much out of Christmas Day this year and keep any feelings of disappointment at bay, Dr Wise comments: “I would suggest being in the moment is a great way to tackle any feelings of flatness and even disappointment around Christmas Day. People might put the big day on a pedestal. It’s important to be in the present moment and not put too much pressure on having a perfect Christmas. Try not to build it up too much and enjoy each moment as it comes. This might help you enjoy the 25th as much as the days leading up to it!”
Find out more about Dr Wise’s research: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/toby-wise