The benefits of giving: Effects of prosocial behavior on recovery from stress

Prosocial decision-making under time pressure: Behavioral and neural mechanisms

The present study employed a novel paradigm and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to uncover the specific regulatory mechanism of time pressure and empathy trait in prosocial decision-making, compared to self-decision making. Participants were instructed to decide whether to spend their own monetary interest to alleviate themselves (or another person) from unpleasant noise threats under high and low time pressures. On the behavioral level, results showed that high time pressure had a significant effect on reducing participants' willingness to spend money on relieving themselves from the noise, while there is a similar but not significant trend in prosocial decision-making. On the neural level, for self-concerned decision-making, low time pressure activated the bilateral insula more strongly than high time pressure. For prosocial decision-making, high time pressure suppressed activations in multiple brain regions related to empathy (temporal pole, middle temporal gyrus, and inferior frontal gyrus), valuation (medial orbitofrontal cortex), and emotion (putamen). The functional connectivity strength among these regions, especially the connectivity between the medial orbitofrontal cortex and putamen, significantly predicted the effect of time pressure on prosocial decision-making at the behavioral level. Additionally, we discovered the activation of the medial orbitofrontal cortex partially mediated the effect of empathy trait scores on prosocial decision-making. These findings suggest that (1) there are different neural underpinnings for the modulation of time pressure for self and prosocial decision-making, and (2) the empathy trait plays a crucial role in the latter.

Can prosocial values improve brain health?

Prosocial values play a critical role in promoting care and concern for the well-being of others and prioritizing the common good of society. Evidence from population-based reports, cognitive neuroscience, and clinical studies suggests that these values depend on social cognition processes, such as empathy, deontological moral cognition, moral emotions, and social cooperation. Additionally, indirect evidence suggests that various forms of prosocial behaviors are associated with positive health outcomes at the behavioral, cardiovascular, immune, stress-related, and inflammatory pathways. However, it is unclear whether prosociality can positively influence brain health outcomes. In this perspective, we propose that prosocial values are not only influenced by brain conditions but could also potentially play a role in protecting brain health. We review studies from various fields that support this claim, including recent reports of prosociality-based interventions impacting brain health. We then explore potential multilevel mechanisms, based on the reduction of allostatic overload at behavioral, cardiovascular, immune, stress-related, and inflammatory levels. Finally, we propose potential prosociality-based interventions for improving brain health in at-risk populations, such as psychiatric and neurological patients, and individuals exposed to poverty or violence. Our perspective suggests that prosocial values may play a role in promoting and maintaining healthy brains.

Support Needs and Coping Strategies in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): A Multidisciplinary Approach to Potential Unmet Challenges beyond Pharmacological Treatment

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most frequently occurring chronic liver disease, affecting approximately 25–30% of the adult general population worldwide. NAFLD reflects excess hepatic accumulation of fat in the absence of increased alcohol intake, and, due to its close association with obesity, is frequently referred to as the ‘hepatic manifestation’ of metabolic syndrome. Indeed, a high percentage of individuals with NAFLD present with a combination of the cardio-metabolic comorbidities that are associated with the metabolic syndrome. In addition to its well-established link with the metabolic syndrome and increased risk for cardiovascular disease, NAFLD has also been associated with certain mental health issues (e.g., depression and stress). Although this link is now being increasingly recognized, there are still unmet needs regarding the holistic management of patients with NAFLD, which could further contribute to feelings of social isolation and loneliness. The latter conditions are also increasingly reported to pose a substantial risk to overall health and quality of life. To date, there is limited research that has explored these issues among patients with NAFLD, despite existing data which indicate that perceived loneliness and isolation may pose an additional health risk. Notably, many features associated with NAFLD have been related to these concepts, such as perceived stigma, fatigue, stress, and confusion regarding this diagnosis. As such, this review aimed to assess such potential problems faced by patients with NAFLD, and to explore the possibility of unmet support needs which could lead to perceived social isolation. Moreover, the importance of a compassionate approach towards such patients is discussed, together with potential coping strategies. Future research directions and the need for a multidisciplinary approach are also highlighted.

Social Value Orientation Moderated the Effect of Acute Stress on Individuals' Prosocial Behaviors

Acute stress is believed to lead to prosocial behaviors via a "tend-and-befriend" pattern of stress response. However, the results of the effect of acute stress on prosocial behavior are inconsistent. The current study explores the moderating effect of gender and social value orientation on the relationship between acute stress and individuals' pure prosocial behaviors (i.e., pure prosociality and prosocial third-party punishment). Specifically, eighty-one participants were selected and underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (or were in the control group), followed by the third-party punishment task and the dictator game. The results showed that, in general, the main effect of condition or respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity on individual prosocial behaviors was significant and did not vary between genders. Furthermore, social value orientation (i.e., prosocial or self-orientation) might moderate the impact of RSA reactivity on the amount of punishment in the third-party punishment task. That is, individuals with self-orientation exhibited more prosocial third-party punishment as RSA reactivity decreased, while the effect did not occur for individuals with prosocial orientation. Taken together, the findings of the current study provide further evidence for the "tend-and-befriend" hypothesis and highlight the underlying physical mechanisms as well as the individual dependence of the effect of psychosocial stress on individuals' pure prosocial behaviors.