Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026

Employing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in a Resource Limited Environment to Establish Brain-Behavior Relationships
Published on: April 20, 2022
The self-liking brain: a VBM study on the structural substrate of self-esteem
Dmitrij Agroskin1, Johannes Klackl1, Eva Jonas1
1Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
Self-esteem is linked to brain structure. Higher self-esteem correlates with greater grey matter volume in brain regions crucial for emotion regulation and stress coping.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- Self-esteem is recognized as a key psychological resource for managing stress.
- Individual differences in self-esteem may be associated with neuroanatomical variations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between trait self-esteem and regional grey matter volume.
- To identify specific brain regions where grey matter volume correlates with self-esteem levels.
Main Methods:
- Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was employed on 48 healthy adults.
- Voxel-based morphometry with diffeomorphic anatomical registration using exponentiated lie algebra (VBM-DARTEL) was utilized for analysis.
Main Results:
- Positive associations were observed between self-esteem and grey matter volume in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), right lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC), right hippocampus, and left hypothalamus.
- Self-esteem also positively covaried with grey matter volume in the right temporo-parietal junction (TPJ).
Conclusions:
- Lower self-esteem is associated with reduced grey matter volume in brain areas vital for emotion/stress regulation.
- These findings offer neuroanatomical support for self-esteem as a critical coping resource.
More Related Videos
10:45Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Observing Virtual Social Interactions
Published on: July 6, 2011
09:00Investigating the Function of Deep Cortical and Subcortical Structures Using Stereotactic Electroencephalography: Lessons from the Anterior Cingulate Cortex
Published on: April 15, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Trait and State Self-Esteem
Social Foundations of Self III: Self-Evaluation
Self-Evaluation Maintenance Model
Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Self-Serving Bias