Neural correlates underlying change in state self-esteem.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Social Psychology

Background:

• State self-esteem, a transient sense of self-worth, regulates interpersonal relationships.
• The neural mechanisms underlying how subjective interpretation of social appraisal influences state self-esteem are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neural underpinnings of how subjective interpretation of others' appraisals affects state self-esteem.
• To identify brain regions involved in processing social feedback and its impact on momentary self-worth.

Main Methods:

• Task-based and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were employed.
• Participants rated the pleasantness of their reputations and reported their state self-esteem.
• Evaluation sensitivity was calculated as the rate of change in state self-esteem per unit pleasantness.

Main Results:

• Individual differences in evaluation sensitivity correlated with precuneus activity during reputation rating.
• Resting-state fMRI showed that evaluation sensitivity was associated with precuneus functional connectivity.
• Connectivity patterns differed based on whether the reputation was perceived as positive or negative.

Conclusions:

• The precuneus, a component of the mentalizing network, plays a crucial role in translating subjective interpretations of social reputation into state self-esteem.
• This research elucidates the neural basis of how social feedback modulates our momentary sense of self-worth.