Association between relational mobility, brain structure, and prosociality in adolescents
Junko Yamada1, Qiulu Shou2, Atsushi Miyazaki1
1Brain Science Institute, Tamagawa University, Machida, Tokyo, Japan.
Summary
Adolescent social environments shape trust and brain development. Greater freedom to change relationships correlates with less caution and smaller posterior superior temporal gyrus volume.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Sociology
Background:
- Trust, comprising general trust and caution, is crucial for societal function.
- Adolescence is a critical developmental period influencing psychological traits and brain structures.
- Socio-environmental factors, like relational mobility, impact adolescent development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of relational mobility on adolescent trust and brain structure.
- To analyze the distinct effects of two relational mobility subfactors: freedom to choose/replace relationships and opportunities to meet new people.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of relational mobility's impact on adolescent psychological traits (general trust, caution).
- Examination of the association between relational mobility subfactors and brain structure volumes (left pSTG, right supramarginal gyrus).
- Statistical analysis to determine significant relationships and mediational effects.
Main Results:
- Freedom to choose/replace relationships negatively correlated with caution and left posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) volume.
- Left pSTG volume mediated the relationship between freedom to choose/replace relationships and caution.
- Opportunities to meet new people positively correlated with right supramarginal gyrus volume, but not trust or caution.
Conclusions:
- The degree of freedom in social relationships influences adolescent caution and pSTG volume.
- Brain structures related to prosociality are shaped by the adolescent social environment.
- Relational mobility, particularly relationship flexibility, is a key factor in adolescent psychosocial and neural development.
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