Job Satisfaction, Self-Rated Work Performance, and Precuneus Gray Matter Volume: An Exploratory Neuroimaging Study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Organizational Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Employee job performance is crucial in global competition.
• The link between brain structure and job performance remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if gray matter volume in the precuneus mediates the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance.
• To explore other brain regions potentially associated with job satisfaction and performance.

Main Methods:

• Mediation analysis was employed to test the hypothesis.
• Gray matter volume in specific brain regions was analyzed in relation to job satisfaction and performance.

Main Results:

• Gray matter volume in the precuneus significantly mediates the association between job satisfaction and job performance.
• Exploratory analysis identified other brain areas potentially linked to job performance (superior parietal lobule, midcingulate cortex) and job satisfaction (superior temporal sulcus, rectus, medial orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala, pallidum).

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first evidence that brain gray matter volume, specifically in the precuneus, is associated with both job satisfaction and work performance.
• Findings align with self-regulated learning strategy theory, highlighting the role of metacognitive brain regions in employee effectiveness.