Self-affirmation activates brain systems associated with self-related processing and reward and is reinforced by future orientation

Christopher N Cascio, Matthew Brook O'Donnell, Francis J Tinney, Matthew D Lieberman, Shelley E Taylor, Victor J Strecher, Emily B Falk, Christopher N Cascio, Matthew Brook O'Donnell, Francis J Tinney, Matthew D Lieberman, Shelley E Taylor, Victor J Strecher, Emily B Falk

Abstract

Self-affirmation theory posits that people are motivated to maintain a positive self-view and that threats to perceived self-competence are met with resistance. When threatened, self-affirmations can restore self-competence by allowing individuals to reflect on sources of self-worth, such as core values. Many questions exist, however, about the underlying mechanisms associated with self-affirmation. We examined the neural mechanisms of self-affirmation with a task developed for use in a functional magnetic resonance imaging environment. Results of a region of interest analysis demonstrated that participants who were affirmed (compared with unaffirmed participants) showed increased activity in key regions of the brain's self-processing (medial prefrontal cortex + posterior cingulate cortex) and valuation (ventral striatum + ventral medial prefrontal cortex) systems when reflecting on future-oriented core values (compared with everyday activities). Furthermore, this neural activity went on to predict changes in sedentary behavior consistent with successful affirmation in response to a separate physical activity intervention. These results highlight neural processes associated with successful self-affirmation, and further suggest that key pathways may be amplified in conjunction with prospection.

Keywords: emotion regulation; fMRI; positive valuation; reward; self-affirmation.

© The Author (2015). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Study design.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Whole brain analysis comparing the contrast (future value > future control scenarios) for the affirmed group > control group.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Scatter plot of the residualized percent signal change activity in the valuation network (VS+VMPFC) ROI from the contrast (value > control scenarios) predicting post intervention sedentary behavior, controlling for age, gender, education, BMI and pre intervention sedentary behavior.

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