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Personality and Neural Correlates of Mentalizing Ability
Timothy A Allen1, Amanda R Rueter2, Samantha V Abram2
1Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
European Journal of Personality
|April 4, 2018
Summary
Individuals high in compassion, a facet of Agreeableness, show better theory of mind (mentalizing) abilities. This ability is linked to specific brain network connectivity, particularly within the default network.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Personality Science
Background:
- Theory of mind (mentalizing) is crucial for social cognition and is impaired in psychopathology.
- Individual differences in mentalizing and their links to personality and brain function are not well understood.
- Previous research suggests a link between mentalizing and the personality trait Agreeableness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between subdimensions of Agreeableness (Compassion and Politeness) and mentalizing ability.
- To explore the association between individual differences in mentalizing and resting-state functional brain connectivity.
Main Methods:
- Study 1: Assessed mentalizing ability using a theory of mind task in 329 participants, correlating performance with Agreeableness facets.
- Study 2: Examined resting-state functional connectivity in 217 participants in relation to mentalizing performance and personality traits.
Main Results:
- Compassion, but not Politeness, was positively associated with better mentalizing ability.
- The honesty facet of Agreeableness showed a negative association with mentalizing.
- Mentalizing performance correlated with functional connectivity patterns between dorsal medial and core subsystems of the default network.
Conclusions:
- Compassion is a key component of Agreeableness linked to enhanced theory of mind.
- Specific default network connectivity patterns underpin individual differences in mentalizing ability.
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