Behavioral contagion leads the brain functional network towards a more balanced state.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Social Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Behavioral contagion, conforming to observed behaviors, is crucial in social dynamics but its neural underpinnings remain unclear.
• Understanding the brain mechanisms of behavioral contagion can shed light on social influence and decision-making processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the brain functional network's stability changes associated with behavioral contagion.
• To test the hypothesis that brain networks achieve a more stable state after behavioral contagion.

Main Methods:

• Utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to record brain activity during a dictator game task.
• Applied structural balance theory (SBT) to analyze the stability of brain functional networks before and after participants observed others' choices.
• Classified participants into 'Contagion' and 'No-Contagion' groups based on preference changes.

Main Results:

• Behavioral contagion correlated with network link rearrangements, transforming imbalanced triads into balanced ones, thereby reducing 'balance energy'.
• The brain functional network exhibited increased stability (lower balance energy) in the Contagion group post-observation.
• No significant changes in brain network stability were observed in the No-Contagion group.

Conclusions:

• Behavioral contagion is associated with a transition to a more stable brain functional network state.
• The observed stabilization involves altering the topology of negative links (anti-correlated associations) within the brain network.
• A shift towards a more stable brain network state following observation may be a key mechanism driving behavioral contagion.