健康与遗传心理学研究室知识库

自尊是个体对自己总体的情感性评价。自尊有助于促进个体的心理健康,帮助个体应对威胁,具有重要的适应价值。近年来随着社会认知神经科学的兴起,关于自尊的认知神经机制的研究日益增多,主要涉及三个方面:1)自尊与大脑的结构(如海马体积、前扣带回等区域的灰质体积)和功能(静息态下的默认网络活动以及脑区之间的功能联结性)存在一定的关联;2)自尊调节大脑对威胁的反应,与高自尊个体相比,低自尊个体面对威胁时产生更强的防御性反应,自尊通过影响个体面对威胁时的大脑活动帮助个体更好地应对威胁;3)自我评价过程涉及大脑前额叶、眶额叶、扣带回等多个脑区,自尊调节个体在自我评价过程中的大脑活动。总之,自尊作为个体重要的人格特质,与大脑的结构、功能以及活动状态等都具有一定的关系;这些发现在一定程度上揭示了自尊的神经机制,加深了对自尊及其功能的理解。

Accumulating research has approached self-esteem from the perspective of social neuroscience. A review of relevant research indicates that: 1) self-esteem is related to brain physiologically with high self-esteem associating with larger hippocampus volume and regional gray matter volume of anterior cingulate cortex; 2) self-esteem is also related to the resting state of default mode network and functional connectivity among some specific brain areas; 3) self-esteem modulates brain activities to threats such that individuals with low self-esteem exhibit stronger neural responses to self-threatening stimuli; 4) self-esteem modulates brain activities during self-evaluation process. Overall, these findings shed light on the neural basis of self-esteem as well as its adaptive functions.