Study on functional connectivity of default network in social comparison tendency under resting-state functional...

Social comparison is a crucial process for individuals engaging in social interactions. It exhibits a dual nature, capable of producing both positive and negative effects. Therefore, investigating the neural processing mechanisms underlying social comparison is of great significance. In this study, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) was employed to analyze the functional connectivity of the default mode network (DMN) related to social comparison tendency. The results showed that stronger functional connectivity between the DMN and several cortical regions-including the supplementary motor area, inferior parietal lobule, cingulate gyrus, angular gyrus, calcarine sulcus, and superior frontal gyrus-was significantly correlated with higher levels of opinion comparison. In contrast, no significant correlation was found between ability comparison and DMN-based whole-brain functional connectivity. Furthermore, a dissociation between opinion and ability comparison was observed, and gender was identified as a moderating factor in the neural mechanisms of opinion comparison. These findings emphasize a unique relationship between opinion-based social comparison and DMN connectivity, offering novel neural insights into the processes underlying social comparison.