Department of Social Neuroscience and Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Fabrikstrasse 8, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland.
Translational Imaging Center (TIC), Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, Bern, Switzerland.
Sci Rep. 2023 Oct 13;13(1):17357. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-44250-z.
Intergenerational sustainability is a pressing challenge, which is exacerbated by the fact that the current generation must make sacrifices today to ensure the well-being of future generations. There are large interindividual differences in intergenerational sustainable behavior. However, the neural mechanisms underlying these interindividual differences have remained unexplored. Here, we combined fMRI with a consequential intergenerational sustainability paradigm in a sample of 72 healthy students. Specifically, we analyzed task-dependent functional activity and connectivity during intergenerational sustainable decision-making, focusing on the state-like neurophysiological processes giving rise to behavioral heterogeneity in sustainability. We found that differences in neural communication within and between the mentalizing (TPJ/DMPFC) and cognitive control (ACC/DLPFC) network are related to interindividual differences in intergenerational sustainable behavior. Specifically, the stronger the functional connectivity within and between these networks during decision-making, the more individuals behaved intergenerationally sustainably. Corroborated by mediation analyses, these findings suggest that differences in the engagement of perspective-taking and self-control processes underly interindividual differences in intergenerational sustainable behavior. By answering recent calls for leveraging behavioral and neuroscience for sustainability research, we hope to contribute to interdisciplinary efforts to advance the understanding of interindividual differences in intergenerational sustainability.
代际可持续性是一个紧迫的挑战，由于当前这一代人今天必须做出牺牲，以确保后代的福祉，这一挑战更加严重。代际可持续行为存在很大的个体间差异。然而，这些个体间差异的神经机制仍未得到探索。在这里，我们在 72 名健康学生的样本中结合了 fMRI 和一个有后果的代际可持续性范式。具体来说，我们分析了代际可持续决策过程中的任务相关功能活动和连接性，重点关注产生可持续性行为异质性的状态样神经生理过程。我们发现，心理化（TPJ/DMPFC）和认知控制（ACC/DLPFC）网络内和网络间的神经通讯差异与代际可持续行为的个体间差异有关。具体来说，在决策过程中这些网络内和网络间的功能连接越强，个体的代际可持续行为就越多。通过中介分析得到证实，这些发现表明，在代际可持续行为的个体间差异中，观点采择和自我控制过程的参与存在差异。通过回应最近呼吁利用行为和神经科学来进行可持续性研究，我们希望为推进代际可持续性的个体间差异理解的跨学科努力做出贡献。
