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Ueda R. Neural Processing of Facial Attractiveness and Romantic Love: An Overview and Suggestions for Future Empirical Studies. Front Psychol 2022; 13:896514. [PMID: 35774950 PMCID: PMC9239166 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.896514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Romantic love is universally observed in human communities, and the manner in which a person chooses a long-term romantic partner has been a central question in studies on close relationships. Numerous empirical psychological studies have demonstrated that facial attractiveness greatly impacts initial romantic attraction. This close link was further investigated by neuroimaging studies showing that both viewing attractive faces and having romantic thoughts recruit the reward system. However, it remains unclear how our brains integrate perceived facial attractiveness into initial romantic attraction. In addition, it remains unclear how our brains shape a persistent attraction to a particular person through interactions; this persistent attraction is hypothesized to contribute to a long-term relationship. After reviewing related studies, I introduce methodologies that could help address these questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryuhei Ueda
- Institute for the Future of Human Society, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Center for Information and Neural Networks, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Osaka, Japan
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Kajimura S, Ito A. The Brain Understands Social Relationships: The Emerging Field of Functional-Connectome-Based Interpersonal Research. Neurosci Insights 2022; 17:26331055221119443. [PMID: 35991809 PMCID: PMC9386479 DOI: 10.1177/26331055221119443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Human functional brain imaging research over the last 2 decades has shown that data from resting-state brain activity can help predict various psychological and pathological variables and brain function during tasks. However, most variables have been attributed to the individual brain. Recently, several studies have aimed to understand interpersonal relationships based on inter-individual similarity or dissimilarity of functional connectome. In this commentary, we introduce the studies that have opened up a new era of interpersonal research using human brain imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shogo Kajimura
- Faculty of Information and Human Sciences, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Ayahito Ito
- Research Institute for Future Design, Kochi University of Technology, Kochi, Japan
- Department of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
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Kajimura S, Ito A, Izuma K. Brain Knows Who Is on the Same Wavelength: Resting-State Connectivity Can Predict Compatibility of a Female-Male Relationship. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:5077-5089. [PMID: 34145453 PMCID: PMC8491675 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Prediction of the initial compatibility of heterosexual individuals based on self-reported traits and preferences has not been successful, even with significantly developed information technology. To overcome the limitations of self-reported measures and predict compatibility, we used functional connectivity profiles from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data that carry rich individual-specific information sufficient to predict psychological constructs and activation patterns during social cognitive tasks. Several days after collecting data from resting-state fMRIs, participants undertook a speed-dating experiment in which they had a 3-min speed date with every other opposite-sex participant. Our machine learning algorithm successfully predicted whether pairs in the experiment were compatible or not using (dis)similarity of functional connectivity profiles obtained before the experiment. The similarity and dissimilarity of functional connectivity between individuals and these multivariate relationships contributed to the prediction, hence suggesting the importance of complementarity (observed as dissimilarity) as well as the similarity between an individual and a potential partner during the initial attraction phase. The result indicates that the salience network, limbic areas, and cerebellum are especially important for the feeling of compatibility. This research emphasizes the utility of neural information to predict complex phenomena in a social environment that behavioral measures alone cannot predict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shogo Kajimura
- Faculty of Information and Human Sciences, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
| | - Ayahito Ito
- Research Institute for Future Design, Kochi University of Technology, Kochi 780-8515, Japan
- Department of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido 060-0812, Japan
| | - Keise Izuma
- Research Institute for Future Design, Kochi University of Technology, Kochi 780-8515, Japan
- Department of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
- School of Economics & Management, Kochi University of Technology, Kochi 780-8515, Japan
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Ito A, Yoshida K, Takeda K, Sawamura D, Murakami Y, Hasegawa A, Sakai S, Izuma K. The role of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in automatic formation of impression and reflected impression. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:3045-3058. [PMID: 32301546 PMCID: PMC7336154 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Revised: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous neuroimaging studies demonstrated that ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) activity reflects how much an individual positively views each person (impression). Here, we investigated whether the degree to which individuals think others positively view them (reflected impression) is similarly tracked by activity in the vmPFC by using fMRI and speed-dating events. We also examined whether activity of the vmPFC in response to the faces of others would predict the impression formed through direct interactions with them. The task consisted of three sessions: pre-speed-dating fMRI, speed-dating events, and post-speed-dating fMRI (not reported here). During the pre-speed-dating fMRI, each participant passively viewed the faces of others whom they would meet in the subsequent speed-dating events. After the fMRI, they rated the impression and reflected impression of each face. During the speed-dating events, the participants had 3-min conversations with partners whose faces were presented during the fMRI task, and they were asked to choose the partners whom they preferred at the end of the events. The results revealed that the value of both the impression and reflected impression were automatically represented in the vmPFC. However, the impression fully mediated the link between the reflected impression and vmPFC activity. These results highlight a close link between reflected appraisal and impression formation and provide important insights into neural and psychological models of how the reflected impression is formed in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayahito Ito
- Department of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom.,Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan.,Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.,Research Institute for Future Design, Kochi University of Technology, Kochi, Japan
| | - Kazuki Yoshida
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Kenta Takeda
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.,Department of Rehabilitation for the Movement Functions, National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, Tokorozawa, Japan
| | | | - Yui Murakami
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.,Department of Occupational Therapy, Hokkaido Bunkyo University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Ai Hasegawa
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Shinya Sakai
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Keise Izuma
- Department of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom.,School of Economics and Management, Kochi University of Technology, Kochi, Japan
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