Analysis of Brain Activity Using fMRI Data for Affective Evaluation of the Self and Others
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Analysis of Brain Activity Using fMRI Data for Affective Evaluation of the Self and Others G. G. Knyazev,1 A. V. Bocharov,1,2 A. N. Savostyanov,1,2 E. A. Levin,3 and P. D. Rudych1
UDC 159.91
Translated from Zhurnal Vysshei Nervnoi Deyatel’nosti imeni I. P. Pavlova, Vol. 70, No. 1, pp. 31–39, January–February, 2020. Original article submitted March 26, 2019. Revised version received April 11, 2019. Accepted June 3, 2019. The aim of the present work was to study brain activity using fMRI data during assessment of the self and other people. Subjects were presented with adjectives describing positive, neutral, or negative characteristics and were asked to assess the extent to which these characteristics applied to the subject him- or herself, or to a friend, a stranger, or an unpleasant person. The main effect of the Object of assessment factor was apparent in the right upper parietal lobe, which is part of the default network of the brain and overlaps with the temporoparietal junction area. Activation in this area was maximal on self-evaluation. The main effect of the Type of adjective factor was also seen in structures in the posterior center of the default network. As these areas are involved in constructing perspectives from the point of view of other people, it can be suggested that the “I” is perceived in continuous relation to the social environment and is assessed in terms of the presumed views of other people. Keywords: the social brain, fMRI, temporoparietal junction area.
Introduction. A person’s life is entirely determined by his or her interaction with other people. The success or failure of these interactions affects not only the life and mental health of every individual, but also the health and, ultimately, the success of society as a whole. In recent years, social psychology has seen a clear tendency to ever wider use of the concepts and data of the natural sciences. The sciences arising at the junction of these disciplines, such as evolutionary psychology and social neuroscience, have to a significant extent revolutionized our understanding of the causes, mechanisms, and consequences of many forms of social behavior [Buss, 2005; Decety and Cowell, 2016; Falk and Scholz, 2018]. According to current concepts, sociality is not just a component of human behavior and conscious-
ness; it is what formed the human brain. Early studies on the evolution of the brain emphasized its role in sensory perception and technical competence (the ability to obtain food, spatial awareness, innovation), though research in recent years has shown that the leading factor was the ability to live in large, complex communities [Dunbar and Shultz, 2007, 2017; Kappeler et al., 2019]. The main task of an individual living in society is the find the optimum balance between personal interests and the interests of the group. Other people may be perceived either as allies and friends or as competitor and enemies. These two types of perception can trigger diametrically opposite behavioral reactions and can thus be accompanied by dif
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