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Emotions promote social interaction by synchronizing brain activity across individuals.

ABSTRACT: Sharing others' emotional states may facilitate understanding their intentions and actions. Here we show that networks of brain areas "tick together" in participants who are viewing similar emotional events in a movie. Participants' brain activity was measured with functional MRI while they watched movies depicting unpleasant, neutral, and pleasant emotions. After scanning, participants watched the movies again and continuously rated their experience of pleasantness-unpleasantness (i.e., valence) and of arousal-calmness. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to derive multisubject voxelwise similarity measures [intersubject correlations (ISCs)] of functional MRI data. Valence and arousal time series were used to predict the moment-to-moment ISCs computed using a 17-s moving average. During movie viewing, participants' brain activity was synchronized in lower- and higher-order sensory areas and in corticolimbic emotion circuits. Negative valence was associated with increased ISC in the emotion-processing network (thalamus, ventral striatum, insula) and in the default-mode network (precuneus, temporoparietal junction, medial prefrontal cortex, posterior superior temporal sulcus). High arousal was associated with increased ISC in the somatosensory cortices and visual and dorsal attention networks comprising the visual cortex, bilateral intraparietal sulci, and frontal eye fields. Seed-voxel-based correlation analysis confirmed that these sets of regions constitute dissociable, functional networks. We propose that negative valence synchronizes individuals' brain areas supporting emotional sensations and understanding of another's actions, whereas high arousal directs individuals' attention to similar features of the environment. By enhancing the synchrony of brain activity across individuals, emotions may promote social interaction and facilitate interpersonal understanding.

SUBMITTER: Nummenmaa L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3386135 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Emotions promote social interaction by synchronizing brain activity across individuals.

Nummenmaa Lauri L Glerean Enrico E Viinikainen Mikko M Jääskeläinen Iiro P IP Hari Riitta R Sams Mikko M

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20120523 24

Sharing others' emotional states may facilitate understanding their intentions and actions. Here we show that networks of brain areas "tick together" in participants who are viewing similar emotional events in a movie. Participants' brain activity was measured with functional MRI while they watched movies depicting unpleasant, neutral, and pleasant emotions. After scanning, participants watched the movies again and continuously rated their experience of pleasantness-unpleasantness (i.e., valence ...[more]

PMID: 22623534

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Project description:AIM:To determine development curves of communication and social interaction from childhood into adulthood for individuals with cerebral palsy (CP). METHOD:This Pediatric Rehabilitation Research in the Netherlands (PERRIN)-DECADE study longitudinally assessed 421 individuals with CP, aged from 1 to 20 years at baseline, after 13 years (n=121 at follow-up). Communication and social interactions were assessed using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. We estimated the average maximum performance limit (level) and age at which 90% of the limit was reached (age90 ) using nonlinear mixed-effects modeling. RESULTS:One-hundred individuals without intellectual disability were aged 21 to 34 years at follow-up (39 females, 61 males) (mean age [SD] 28y 5mo [3y 11mo]). Limits of individuals without intellectual disability, regardless of Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level, approached the maximum score and were significantly higher than those of individuals with intellectual disability. Ages90 ranged between 3 and 4 years for receptive communication, 6 and 7 years for expressive communication and interrelationships, 12 and 16 years for written communication, 13 and 16 years for play and leisure, and 14 and 16 years for coping. Twenty-one individuals with intellectual disability were between 21 and 27 years at follow-up (8 females, 13 males) (mean age [SD] 24y 7mo [1y 8mo]). Individuals with intellectual disability in GMFCS level V showed the least favourable development, but variation between individuals with intellectual disability was large. INTERPRETATION:Individuals with CP and without intellectual disability show developmental curves of communication and social interactions similar to typically developing individuals, regardless of their level of motor function. Those with intellectual disability reach lower performance levels and vary largely in individual development. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS:Communication and social interactions in individuals with cerebral palsy without intellectual disability develop similarly to typically developing individuals. Communication and social interactions of individuals with intellectual disability develop less favourably and show large variation.

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Emotions promote social interaction by synchronizing brain activity across individuals.

Publications

Emotions promote social interaction by synchronizing brain activity across individuals.

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