Kang Yoona, OʼDonnell Matthew Brook, Strecher Victor J, Taylor Shelley E, Lieberman Matthew D, Falk Emily B
From the Annenberg School for Communication (Kang, O'Donnell, Falk), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; School of Public Health (Strecher), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; and Department of Psychology (Taylor, Lieberman), University of California, Los Angeles.
Psychosom Med. 2017 May;79(4):379-387. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000445.
Prioritizing self-transcendent values such as family and friends more than nontranscendent values such as wealth and privilege is associated with lower stress response. In this study, we tested whether having self-transcendent values can reduce specific responses in the brain in the context of potentially threatening health communications.
Sedentary adults (N = 67) who would likely feel threatened by health messages that highlight the risk of sedentary behavior were recruited. Participants indicated the degree to which they prioritize self-transcendent values more than nontranscendent values. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, participants' neural responses to health messages were assessed within neural regions implicated in threat responses, including bilateral amygdala and anterior insula (AI).
A tendency to prioritize self-transcendent more than nontranscendent values was associated with lower reactivity during exposure to health messages within anatomically defined regions of left amygdala (t(55) = -2.66, p = .010, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.08 to -0.01), right amygdala (t(55) = -2.22, p = .031, 95% CI = -0.06 to 0.0), and left AI (t(55) = -2.17, p = .034, 95% CI = -0.04 to 0.0), as well as a mask functionally defined to be associated with "threat" using an automated meta-analysis (t(55) = -2.04, p = .046, 95% CI = -0.05 to 0.0). No significant effect was obtained within the right AI (t(55) = -1.38, p = .17, 95% CI = -0.04 to .01). These effects were partially enhanced by reinforcing important values through self-affirmation, remained significant after accounting for self-reported social connection, and were specific to health message processing (versus generic self-related information).
Attenuated neural reactivity to potentially threatening health messages may be a novel way that prioritizing self-transcendent values could lead to positive health behaviors.
将家庭和朋友等自我超越价值观置于财富和特权等非超越价值观之上，与较低的应激反应相关。在本研究中，我们测试了拥有自我超越价值观是否能在潜在威胁性健康信息的背景下降低大脑的特定反应。
招募了久坐不动的成年人（N = 67），他们可能会因强调久坐行为风险的健康信息而感到受到威胁。参与者表明他们将自我超越价值观置于非超越价值观之上的程度。使用功能磁共振成像，在涉及威胁反应的神经区域内评估参与者对健康信息的神经反应，包括双侧杏仁核和前岛叶（AI）。
将自我超越价值观置于非超越价值观之上的倾向，与在接触健康信息期间，左侧杏仁核（t(55) = -2.66，p = .010，95%置信区间[CI] = -0.08至-0.01）、右侧杏仁核（t(55) = -2.22，p = .031，95% CI = -0.06至0.0）和左侧AI（t(55) = -2.17，p = .034，95% CI = -0.04至0.0）的解剖学定义区域内较低的反应性相关，以及使用自动元分析在功能上定义为与“威胁”相关的一个掩膜区域（t(55) = -2.04，p = .046，95% CI = -0.05至0.0）。在右侧AI内未获得显著效应（t(55) = -1.38，p = .17，95% CI = -0.04至.01）。通过自我肯定强化重要价值观，这些效应部分得到增强，在考虑自我报告的社会联系后仍然显著，并且特定于健康信息处理（相对于一般的自我相关信息）。
对潜在威胁性健康信息的神经反应减弱，可能是将自我超越价值观置于优先地位从而导致积极健康行为的一种新方式。
