Selected Principles of Pankseppian Affective Neuroscience

Meaningfulness and attachment: what dreams, psychosis and psychedelic states tell us about our need for connection

The human need to find meaning in life and the human need for connection may be two sides of the same coin, a coin forged in the developmental crucible of attachment. Our need for meaningfulness can be traced to our developmental need for connection in the attachment relationship. The free energy principle dictates that in order to resist a natural tendency towards disorder self-organizing systems must generate models that predict the hidden causes of phenomenal experience. In other words, they must make sense of things. In both an evolutionary and ontogenetic sense, the narrative self develops as a model that makes sense of experience. However, the self-model skews the interpretation of experience towards that which is predictable, or already "known." One may say it causes us to "take things personally." Meaning is felt more acutely when defenses are compromised, when the narrative self is offline. This enables meaning-making that is less egocentrically motivated. Dreams, psychosis, and psychedelic states offer glimpses of how we make sense of things absent a coherent narrative self. This has implications for the way we understand such states, and lays bare the powerful reach of attachment in shaping what we experience as meaningful.

Emotional sociology applied: predictive influence of affective neuroscience personality traits on Chinese preschool teachers' performance and wellbeing

Background

The interplay between teaching engagement and performance has garnered attention in both theoretical and empirical research, primarily due to its influence on student academic achievement, teacher well-being, and the realization of institutional goals. This is especially pertinent in the realm of preschool education, where the scope of learning extends beyond academic content to encompass the broader socialization of children. Drawing from Affective Neuroscience research, this study investigates the role of affective tendencies as mediators in the relationship between work engagement and job performance.

Objective

The primary aim of this research is to examine a chain mediation model that hypothesizes the predictive role of teacher engagement. This model posits the intermediary influence of four basic emotions-CARING, SEEKING, ANGER, and FEAR-followed by the mediating effect of job satisfaction on teacher job performance.

Method

The study utilized a sample of 842 Chinese preschool teachers. Data were collected through an online questionnaire, employing a time-lagged design. The analysis was conducted using Model 80 of the PROCESS Macros.

Results

The findings reveal that both positive and negative emotions significantly predict teachers' job satisfaction. However, job satisfaction does not influence job performance. The analysis confirmed the direct and total effects of teacher engagement, as well as the indirect effects, particularly through the positive emotion of Caring.

Implications

The results are instrumental in informing and refining interventions designed to enhance teacher engagement and performance, underscoring the importance of emotional factors in the educational environment.

Diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility of the PHQ-2 and GAD-2: a comparison with long-format measures for depression and anxiety

Background

Anxiety and depression are highly prevalent and often comorbid mental disorders that are encompassed within the broad category of emotional disorders. The frequent comorbidity of anxiety and depression can pose challenges for accurate diagnosis and treatment which, in turn, highlights the need for reliable measurements that are simultaneously responsive to change and prevent non-response bias. Brief measures of anxiety and depression can potentially increase response rates due to their brevity and ease of administration. This study evaluates the psychometric characteristics, discriminative accuracy, and sensitivity to change of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-item scale (GAD-2) and the Patient Health Questionnaire 2-item scale (PHQ-2) within a clinical population.

Method

The sample comprised treatment-seeking participants (n = 3,411), screened (n = 2,477) to receive an internet-based psychotherapeutic intervention (cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, or waitlist).

Results

Brief measures can effectively detect individuals who may be eligible for a diagnosis of depression and anxiety, not only prior to but also during and following the completion of psychological treatment. The discriminative ability of the GAD-2 was significantly greater during active treatment and at post-assessment compared with pre-treatment screening, although no such differences were found for the PHQ-2. Finally, endorsing the most severe response option on the GAD-2 and PHQ-2 was associated with a high probability of presenting with clinically relevant anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Conclusion

Brief measures of anxiety and depression are viable instruments to screen for and monitor anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Clinical trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT05016843.

Affective neuroscience: applications for sexual medicine research and clinical practice

INTRODUCTION

Affective neuroscience is the study of the brain substrates of emotional, embodied experiences. Affective neuroscience theory (ANT) is based on experimental evidence that all mammals are hardwired with 7 primary subcortical emotional operating systems, or "core emotions," that have overlapping but distinct circuits buried in the deep, ancient parts of the brain. Imbalances in the 7 core emotions can affect multiple aspects of the individual's psychosocial well-being (eg, depression, anxiety, substance abuse). Here, we propose that core emotions can also influence sexual function and, specifically, that imbalances in core emotions are the bridge connecting psychiatric symptoms (eg, anhedonia) to sexual dysfunction (eg, anorgasmia).

OBJECTIVES

In this targeted review and commentary, we outline potential connections between ANT and sexual medicine research and clinical practice. We summarize ANT by defining the 3-level BrainMind and core emotions; examining how they relate to personality, behavior, and mental health; and determining the implications for sexual health research and clinical practice.

METHODS

A targeted literature review was conducted. Case studies were adapted from client files and clinician interviews and then anonymized.

RESULTS

We propose a novel organizational schema for implementing affective balance therapies for sexual dysfunction, which integrate psychoeducational, somatic, and cognitive therapeutic approaches under the ANT framework. We provide 3 patient case studies (anorgasmia, hypersexuality, spinal cord injury) outlining the implementation of this approach and patient outcomes.

CONCLUSION

ANT has practical translational applications in sexual health research and clinical practice. By integrating our understanding of the role of core emotions in human sexuality, clinicians can better tailor treatments to address sexual dysfunction.

Is there an affective neuroscience of spirituality? The development and validation of the OCEANic feelings scale

Background

Oceanic feelings represent a phenomenological structure of affective sensations that characteristically involve feelings of self-dissolution and feelings of unity and transcendence. This study presents the preliminary version of a self-report instrument to measure individual dispositions toward oceanic feelings in order to enable further research within the concept of primary emotions postulated by Jaak Panksepp.

Methods

A first version of the questionnaire was applied to a total sample of 926 German-speaking adults of the general population. After performing item analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) in a first study (N = 300), the questionnaire was shortened. In a second study (N = 626), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted and emerged scales were related to the already established instruments for the assessment of primary emotions (BANPS-GL) and Big Five personality traits (BFI-44).

Results

The OCEANic scale exhibited reliabilities ranging from Cronbach's α = 0.82 (positive) to α = 0.88 (negative) and plausible correlations with behavioral traits related to the seven affective neurobiological systems (ANGER, FEAR, CARE, SEEK, PLAY, SADNESS, and LUST) as well as with personality factors measured by the Big Five Inventory. For CFA, a bifactorial model with an overall factor demonstrated good fit: RMSEA = 0.00 (90% CI:0.00, 0.03); TLI = 1.00; CFI = 1.00; NFI = 0.99.

Discussion

The OCEANic scale enables the operationalization of oceanic feelings comprising two subscales and one total scale. The results indicate good reliability and acceptable factorial validity. Establishment and further validation of the OCEANic scale within future research will be needed to fully understand the role of oceanic feelings within the human affective life, especially the personality trait of spirituality.

Curcumin and targeting of molecular and metabolic pathways in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a life-threading disease that poses a great threat to the human being lifestyle. Having said extensive research in the realm of underlying mechanisms and treatment procedures, no definite remedy has been found. Over the past decades, many medicines have been disclosed to alleviate the symptoms and marking of MS. Meanwhile, the substantial efficacy of herbal medicines including curcumin must be underscored. Accumulated documents demonstrated the fundamental role of curcumin in the induction of the various signaling pathways. According to evidence, curcumin can play a role in mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis, autophagy, and mitophagy. Also, by targeting the signaling pathways AMPK, PGC-1α/PPARγ, and PI3K/Akt/mTOR, curcumin interferes with the metabolism of MS. The anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune regulatory effects of this herbal compound are involved in its effectiveness against MS. Thus, the present review indicates the molecular and metabolic pathways associated with curcumin's various pharmacological actions on MS, as well as setting into context the many investigations that have noted curcumin-mediated regulatory effects in MS.

Designing for Hope: Biophilic Color Associations and Their Relevance to Clinical Settings

AIM

To consider one common aspect of biophilic design (BD; i.e., color) and its relationship to an important element of well-being (i.e., hope).

BACKGROUND

BD is multifaceted making the identification of critical design elements difficult. Further complexity is introduced given that practice assumptions stemming from the biophilia hypothesis may be questioned. Consistent with the biophilia hypothesis, the author considers the study's findings from the perspectives of evolutionary psychology and psychobiology.

METHODS

One hundred and fifty four adult participants engaged in one of the three experiments. Using colored test cards, Experiment #1 sought to determine which of four biophilic colors (i.e., red, yellow, green, or blue) evoked the strongest experience of hope. Considering this color alone, Experiment #2 sought to manipulate "color depth." Participants were asked to identify what color depth evoked the strongest experience of hope. Experiment #3 sought to determine if the outcomes of Experiments #1 and #2 were due to a priming effect. All participants were asked about color associations they held.

RESULTS

Experiments #1 and #2 demonstrated that yellow at maximal color depth evoked the strongest experience of hope (p < .001). Experiment #3 demonstrated that no priming effect was evident (p < .05). No participant had a strong personal preference for/against yellow. Natural world color associations existed for yellow, green, and blue. Red held emotive associations.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings clearly associate yellow with hope. From the perspectives of evolutionary psychology and psychobiology this suggests color cues can evoke time-dependent motive states. Implications for practitioners designing spaces of hope within healthcare facilities are considered.

Brief Form of the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales: Preliminary Psychometric Properties in a European Portuguese Community Sample

Personality theory based on affective neuroscience research suggests the presence of seven affective neurobiological systems. These dimensions have been identified using psychometric instruments such as the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) and its brief version known as the Brief Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (BANPS). Despite being a psychometric valid instrument, the BANPS was not adapted to European Portuguese. This study describes a psychometric analysis of the BANPS in a Portuguese population sample. A European Portuguese-speaking sample was recruited (N = 355, Mage = 27.31, DP = 12.75). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to confirm the BANPS factorial structure. Pearson correlations were used to explore convergent validity with self-reports for psychological distress and psychopathology. Six factor model was confirmed with adequate goodness-of-fit indices (χ2(449) = 808,9841, TLI = .90, CFI = .92, RMSEA = .048 (.042-.053). Non-agreeable affective systems (anger, fear, distress), correlated positively with psychological distress and symptomology, while play and care systems correlated negatively. Seek and care subscales showed the weakest psychometric properties. The original factor structure was confirmed, suggesting the BANPS may be a valid measure to assess affective behavioral traits in the Portuguese population. Further studies in clinical populations may improve the psychometric data of the BANPS.

Potential Mechanisms of Action and Outcomes of Equine-Assisted Services for Veterans with a History of Trauma: A Narrative Review of the Literature

Equine-assisted services (EASs) are being increasingly used as complementary interventions for military veterans who have experienced trauma. However, there is limited evidence of benefit for this population and almost no literature describing the desired potential outcomes and possible mechanisms of action. The aim of this article is to address these gaps by reviewing the extant literature of animal-assisted interventions in general, and equine-assisted services in particular, with the goal of providing guidance for future investigations in the field. Currently, the field is in the early stage of scientific development, but published results are promising. Interventions that enhance treatment compliance and/or outcomes could benefit this population. Preliminary results, reviewed herein, indicate that EAS interventions might benefit the military veteran population by enhancing treatment engagement and therapeutic alliance, as well as by contributing to symptom reduction and resulting in various transdiagnostic benefits. It is recommended that future studies include exploration of potential beneficial outcomes discussed herein, as well as investigate suggested mechanisms of action.

The German version of the brief affective neuroscience personality scales including a LUST scale (BANPS-GL)

Objectives

This study presents the German version of the Brief Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (BANPS), which includes an additional subscale for the dimension LUST. The BANPS represents a shortened version of the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS), a self-report instrument to assess individual dispositions toward primary emotional systems as proposed by Jaak Panksepp.

Methods

In a large sample (N = 926), the reliability and various facets of validity of the German translation of the BANPS were examined together with the newly included LUST scale. The BANPS-GL was related to the Big Five Inventory (BFI) and Sexual Sensation Seeking Scale (SSSS) and analyzed via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

Results

Overall, the BANPS-GL exhibited reliabilities ranging from McDonald's ω = 0.70 (CARE) to α = 0.86 (SADNESS) and plausible correlations with external criteria. For CFA a correlated 7-factor model demonstrated good fit [TLI = 0.95; RMSEA = 0.04 (90% CI: 0.04, 0.05); SRMR = 0.06]. A similar fit was demonstrated for a 2-higher-factor model [TLI = 0.93; RMSEA = 0.05 (90% CI: 0.05, 0.06); SRMR = 0.07].

Conclusion

In broad agreement with the results of the original English version, the BANPS-GL showed good reliability and acceptable factorial validity, and overall improved the psychometric properties of the original long form. Finally, the inclusion of the dimension LUST allows for a complete coverage of the primary emotion dispositions as originally conceptualized by Panksepp.

Movement, Play, and Games-An Essay about Youth Sports and Its Benefits for Human Development

The acknowledgment of the qualities and features of the world is made through the body, movement, and imagination. During their development, children learn new skills, complexify their thoughts, and become more autonomous. The progressive increase in motor repertoire in children reflects a more unified and solid self. Nowadays, there is a generalized restriction of the movement of children. It starts at home when parents establish rigid and/or phobic attachments with their children; it can be also observed at school which is more and more based on rigid learning rhythms and obsessive ideas about students' performance, and finally in urban areas where free and outdoor play has considerably decreased during recent decades. The current lifestyles in Western societies resulted in a decrease in play among children. The culture influences the dominant types of psychopathology and, during childhood, mental suffering is often expressed with the increase (turmoil) or decrease (inhibition) of the body movement. Sports are underpinned by movement and play; they are a powerful tool in health promotion and an excellent way to assign meaning to movement. This work is an essay about the importance of play and youth sports in child development.

The relationship between parenting behavior and the personality of kindergarten children

According to Cloninger's biosocial model of personality touching upon temperament and character, personality development is a lifelong adaptive process that begins in early childhood. Similarly, theories of parenting behavior and attachment predict that associations between personality and parenting behavior should be found in young children. The present study therefore had the goal to investigate, whether associations between parenting behavior and personality in terms of Cloninger's temperament and character dimensions previously found in adolescence and adults can already be observed in kindergarten children. This study assessed personality in a sample of 324 kindergarten children (169 girls/155 boys) aged 3-6 years (M _age = 4.59, SD = 0.90). Parents rated their children's temperament and character using the JTCI 3-6 R questionnaire, which has been specifically developed to measure personality dimensions in three to six-year-olds according to Cloninger's model. Character traits (especially Self-Transcendence), which reach mature levels in adults, may not be reliably assessed in three-year-old children. Parenting behavior was documented using the DEAPQ-EL-GS self-report questionnaire measuring the parenting behavior dimensions Responsiveness and Demandingness. Correlation analyses revealed that responsive parenting behavior was positively related to the personality dimensions Reward Dependence, Self-Directedness, and Self-Transcendence. Demanding parenting behavior was positively related to the personality dimension Novelty Seeking, but negatively related to the personality dimensions Persistence, Self-Directedness and Cooperativeness. Although the cross-sectional design of our study prevents unequivocal conclusions about the causal direction of these associations, our results highlight possible differential consequences of responsive vs. demanding parenting behavior for personality development in children in line with theories of parenting behavior and attachment. Our results thus advance earlier work in adolescents and adults, by showing that parenting behavior influences the development of the child's personality according to Cloninger's biosocial model already in three to six-year-olds.

Affective Neuroscience Personality Scale (ANPS) and clinical implications: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Affective neuroscience (AN) theory assumes the existence of seven basic emotional systems (i.e., SEEKING, ANGER, FEAR, CARE, LUST, SADNESS, PLAY) that are common to all mammals and evolutionarily determined to be tools for survival and, in general, for fitness. Based on the AN approach, the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) questionnaire was developed to examine individual differences in the defined basic emotional systems. The current systematic review aims to examine the use of ANPS in clinical contexts attempting to define those behavioral elements associated with underlying stable personality traits.

METHODS

The systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA statements. PubMed and PsycInfo were used for research literature from March 2003 to November 2021.

RESULTS

Forty-four studies including ANPS were identified from 1763 studies reviewed. Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria.

LIMITATIONS

The review comprised some papers with incomplete psychological assessments (e.g., lack of other measures in addition to the ANPS) and missing information (e.g., on the [sub]samples), which may affect the generalizability of findings.

CONCLUSION

Specific endophenotypes and/or patterns of emotional/motivational systems were found for several mental disorders. Specifically, endophenotypes emerged for the Depressive and Autism Spectrum Disorders, Borderline and Avoidant Personality Disorders, type I and II Bipolar Disorders, and the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. The endophenotypes can provide useful reflective elements for both psychodiagnosis and intervention. Overall, the current study may represent an attempt to contribute to the understanding of the basic emotional systems involved in the psychopathological manifestations identified by AN.

The hard problem of consciousness—A perspective from holistic philosophy

Based on a material view and reductionism, science has achieved great success. These cognitive paradigms treat the external as an objective existence and ignore internal consciousness. However, this cognitive paradigm, which we take for granted, has also led to some dilemmas related to consciousness in biology and physics. Together, these phenomena reveal the interaction and inseparable side of matter and consciousness (or body and mind) rather than the absolute opposition. However, a material view that describes matter and consciousness in opposition cannot explain the underlying principle, which causes a gap in interpretation. For example, consciousness is believed to be the key to influencing wave function collapse (reality), but there is a lack of a scientific model to study how this happens. In this study, we reveal that the theory of scientific cognition exhibits a paradigm shift in terms of perception. This tendency implies that reconciling the relationship between matter and consciousness requires an abstract theoretical model that is not based on physical forms. We propose that the holistic cognitive paradigm offers a potential solution to reconcile the dilemmas and can be scientifically proven. In contrast to the material view, the holistic cognitive paradigm is based on the objective contradictory nature of perception rather than the external physical characteristics. This cognitive paradigm relies on perception and experience (not observation) and summarizes all existence into two abstract contradictory perceptual states (Yin-Yang). Matter and consciousness can be seen as two different states of perception, unified in perception rather than in opposition. This abstract perspective offers a distinction from the material view, which is also the key to falsification, and the occurrence of an event is inseparable from the irrational state of the observer’s conscious perception. Alternatively, from the material view, the event is random and has nothing to do with perception. We hope that this study can provide some new enlightenment for the scientific coordination of the opposing relationship between matter and consciousness.

Integrative Model of Human-Animal Interactions: A One Health-One Welfare Systemic Approach to Studying HAI

The Integrative Model of Human-Animal Interactions (IMHAI) described herewith provides a conceptual framework for the study of interspecies interactions and aims to model the primary emotional processes involved in human-animal interactions. This model was developed from theoretical inputs from three fundamental disciplines for understanding interspecies interactions: neuroscience, psychology and ethology, with the objective of providing a transdisciplinary approach on which field professionals and researchers can build and collaborate. Seminal works in affective neuroscience offer a common basis between humans and animals and, as such, can be applied to the study of interspecies interactions from a One Health-One Welfare perspective. On the one hand, Jaak Panksepp's research revealed that primary/basic emotions originate in the deep subcortical regions of the brain and are shared by all mammals, including humans. On the other hand, several works in the field of neuroscience show that the basic physiological state is largely determined by the perception of safety. Thus, emotional expression reflects the state of an individual's permanent adaptation to ever-changing environmental demands. Based on this evidence and over 5 years of action research using grounded theory, alternating between research and practice, the IMHAI proposes a systemic approach to the study of primary-process emotional affects during interspecies social interactions, through the processes of emotional transfer, embodied communication and interactive emotional regulation. IMHAI aims to generate new hypotheses and predictions on affective behavior and interspecies communication. Application of such a model should promote risk prevention and the establishment of positive links between humans and animals thereby contributing to their respective wellbeing.

Towards a neural network hypothesis for functional cognitive disorders: an extension of the Overfitted Brain Hypothesis

Introduction: Whilst the empirical understanding of functional cognitive disorders (FCD) has advanced in recent years, theoretical and conceptual models have evolved more slowly. Existing frameworks for FCD are based on models of other functional neurological disorders or of metacognitive processes and are recognised to lack mechanistic precision.Methods: In this article, a novel application to FCD of Hoel's Overfitted Brain Hypothesis of the evolved function of dreaming is attempted.Results: This posits that the empirically observed sleep disturbance in FCD entails impaired dreaming which causes the brain to be overfitted and hence unable to generalise appropriately, producing mismatch between memory expectations and memory performance.Conclusions: This formulation of FCD is based on considerations derived from the study of neural networks and shares commonalities with Bayesian models of functional neurological disorders. Additionally, it has implications for future hypothesis-driven research in FCD and suggests a pragmatic basis for management strategies.

Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales and Early Maladaptive Schemas in Depressive Disorders

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the interrelationships of Young’s early maladaptive schemas with indicators of specific neural emotional systems conceptualized in Panksepp’s theory in a group of people suffering from depressive disorders. Materials and methods: The Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) v. 2.4. and J. Young’s Early Maladaptive Schema Questionnaire (YSQ-S3-PL) were used. Ninety (90) individuals aged 18–58, including 45 people treated for depression (DD group), were qualified to participate in the experiment. Results: The subjects in the DD group scored statistically significantly lower than the subjects from the control group (CG group) on the three ANPS scale domains, namely SEEKING, PLAY, and ANGER. The subjects with depressive symptoms scored significantly higher in the YSQ-S3-PL questionnaire on two domains of early maladaptive schemas, i.e., “Impaired autonomy and performance” and “Other-directedness”. Regression analysis results indicate that impairment of the emotional SEEKING system explains most of the variability in the following typical domains of depression: “Disconnection and rejection”, “Impaired autonomy and performance”, and “Other-directedness”. For score variability in the domain area of “Impaired limits”, the ANGER system was found to be most significant, and the FEAR system proved the same for “Overvigilance and Inhibition”. Conclusions: 1. Two domains of early maladaptive schemas are significant for the onset of depressive symptoms, namely “Impaired autonomy and performance” and “Other-directedness”, linked to difficulties in engaging in behaviors to meet one’s own needs. 2. Impairment of the neural emotional SEEKING system most significantly explains the variability in depression-typical areas of early maladaptive schemas.

The relationship between adolescent emotion dysregulation and problematic technology use: Systematic review of the empirical literature

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

We aimed to systematically identify, evaluate and summarize the research on adolescent emotion dysregulation and problematic technology use. We critically appraise strengths and limitations and provide recommendations for future research.

METHODS

We followed the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and conducted a systematic review of published original reports on adolescent emotion dysregulation and problematic technology use published until March 1, 2022. A thorough search preceded the selection of studies matching prespecified criteria. Strengths and limitations of selected studies, regarding design and reporting, were identified based on current best practices.

RESULTS

39 studies met inclusion criteria. All of these studies provided on the relationship between adolescent emotion dysregulation and problematic technology use severity based on self-report data.

DISCUSSION

There was a positive correlation between adolescent emotion dysregulation and the severity of problematic technology use. Beyond this, other variables (such as anxiety, depression, self-esteem, etc.) were also closely related to emotion dysregulation and problematic technology use. Such studies are of importance to better understand cause-effect relations regarding both variables.

The “Primitive Brain Dysfunction” Theory of Autism: The Superior Colliculus Role

A better understanding of the pathogenesis of autism will help clarify our conception of the complexity of normal brain development. The crucial deficit may lie in the postnatal changes that vision produces in the brainstem nuclei during early life. The superior colliculus is the primary brainstem visual center. Although difficult to examine in humans with present techniques, it is known to support behaviors essential for every vertebrate to survive, such as the ability to pay attention to relevant stimuli and to produce automatic motor responses based on sensory input. From birth to death, it acts as a brain sentinel that influences basic aspects of our behavior. It is the main brainstem hub that lies between the environment and the rest of the higher neural system, making continuous, implicit decisions about where to direct our attention. The conserved cortex-like organization of the superior colliculus in all vertebrates allows the early appearance of primitive emotionally-related behaviors essential for survival. It contains first-line specialized neurons enabling the detection and tracking of faces and movements from birth. During development, it also sends the appropriate impulses to help shape brain areas necessary for social-communicative abilities. These abilities require the analysis of numerous variables, such as the simultaneous evaluation of incoming information sustained by separate brain networks (visual, auditory and sensory-motor, social, emotional, etc.), and predictive capabilities which compare present events to previous experiences and possible responses. These critical aspects of decision-making allow us to evaluate the impact that our response or behavior may provoke in others. The purpose of this review is to show that several enigmas about the complexity of autism might be explained by disruptions of collicular and brainstem functions. The results of two separate lines of investigation: 1. the cognitive, etiologic, and pathogenic aspects of autism on one hand, and two. the functional anatomy of the colliculus on the other, are considered in order to bridge the gap between basic brain science and clinical studies and to promote future research in this unexplored area.

The Neurobiology of Behavior and Its Applicability for Animal Welfare: A Review

Simple Summary

Animal welfare is the result of physical and psychological well-being and is expected to occur if animals are free: (1) from hunger, thirst and malnutrition, (2) from discomfort, (3) from pain, (4) to express normal behavior, and (5) from fear and distress. Nevertheless, well-being is not a constant state but rather the result of certain brain dynamics underlying innate motivated behaviors and learned responses. Thus, by understanding the foundations of the neurobiology of behavior we fathom how emotions and well-being occur in the brain. Herein, we discuss the potential applicability of this approach for animal welfare. First, we provide a general view of the basic responses coordinated by the central nervous system from the processing of internal and external stimuli. Then, we discuss how those stimuli mediate activity in seven neurobiological systems that evoke innate emotional and behavioral responses that directly influence well-being and biological fitness. Finally, we discuss the basic mechanisms of learning and how it affects motivated responses and welfare.

Abstract

Understanding the foundations of the neurobiology of behavior and well-being can help us better achieve animal welfare. Behavior is the expression of several physiological, endocrine, motor and emotional responses that are coordinated by the central nervous system from the processing of internal and external stimuli. In mammals, seven basic emotional systems have been described that when activated by the right stimuli evoke positive or negative innate responses that evolved to facilitate biological fitness. This review describes the process of how those neurobiological systems can directly influence animal welfare. We also describe examples of the interaction between primary (innate) and secondary (learned) processes that influence behavior.

A Neuroanatomy of Positive Affect Display – Subcortical Fiber Pathways Relevant for Initiation and Modulation of Smiling and Laughing

Background

We here report two cases of stimulation induced pathological laughter (PL) under thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) for essential tremor and interpret the effects based on a modified neuroanatomy of positive affect display (PAD).

Objective/Hypothesis

The hitherto existing neuroanatomy of PAD can be augmented with recently described parts of the motor medial forebrain bundle (motorMFB). We speculate that a co-stimulation of parts of this fiber structure might lead to a non-volitional modulation of PAD resulting in PL.

Methods

We describe the clinical and individual imaging workup and combine the interpretation with normative diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-tractography descriptions of motor connections of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) (n = 200 subjects, HCP cohort), [[¹⁸F] fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸FDG)] positron emission tomography (PET), and volume of activated tissue simulations. We integrate these results with literature concerning PAD and the neuroanatomy of smiling and laughing.

Results

DBS electrodes bilaterally co-localized with the MB-pathway (“limiter pathway”). The FDG PET activation pattern allowed to explain pathological PAD. A conceptual revised neuroanatomy of PAD is described.

Conclusion

Eliciting pathological PAD through chronic thalamic DBS is a new finding and has previously not been reported. PAD is evolution driven, hard wired to the brain and realized over previously described branches of the motorMFB. A major relay region is the VTA/mammillary body complex. PAD physiologically undergoes conscious modulation mainly via the MB branch of the motorMFB (limiter). This limiter in our cases is bilaterally disturbed through DBS. The here described anatomy adds to a previously described framework of neuroanatomy of laughter and humor.

Flights and Perchings of the BrainMind: A Temporospatial Approach to Psychotherapy

This article introduces a process-oriented approach for improving present moment conceptualization in psychotherapy that is in alignment with neuroscience: the Temporospatial movements of mind (TSMM) model. We elaborate on seven temporal movements that describe the moment-to-moment morphogenesis of emotional feelings and thoughts from inception to maturity. Temporal refers to the passage of time through which feelings and thoughts develop, and electromagnetic activity, that among other responsibilities, bind information across time. Spatial dynamics extend from an undifferentiated to three dimensional experiences of emotional and cognitive processes. Neurophysiologically, spatial refers to structures within the brain and their varying interactions with one another. This article culminates in the development of an atheoretical temporospatial grid that may help clinicians conceptualize where patients are in their cognitive and emotional development to further guide technique.

The Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales: Linking the adjective and statement-based inventories with the Big Five Inventory in English and German-speaking samples

Jaak Panksepp's Affective Neuroscience Theory is of high relevance not only for a better understanding of affective brain disorders but also in personality research. To make Panksepp's theory more accessible for psychologists and psychiatrists, Davis, Panksepp, and Normansell (2003) developed the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS). These scales assess the manifestation of the primary emotional traits in humans based on a personality trait approach. Given their putative foundation in old subcortical areas in the brain, these primary emotional traits (assessed via the ANPS) could represent the evolutionarily oldest manifestations of personality (but this notion is still a matter of a debate). However, the ANPS inventories were based on using contextual items (e.g., about specific attitudes, behaviors, and feelings in specific situations). Recently, an adjective-based ANPS (ANPS-Adjective Ratings or ANPS-AR) was developed for a less context-dependent and more efficient assessment of Panksepp's primary emotional systems in humans for use by both individuals and independent observer raters. The present work introduces the first German version of the ANPS-AR. Moreover, the current work investigates the original and ANPS-AR versions of the ANPS and their associations with the Big Five personality traits in two independent English- and German-speaking samples. The results show that the ANPS measures are very similarly correlated with the Big Five personality traits across different samples and scales. This work replicates the previous findings in an English version, and demonstrates the reliability and validity of the adjective-based German ANPS-AR.

Where's My Consciousness-Ometer? How to Test for the Presence and Complexity of Consciousness

Tools and tests for measuring the presence and complexity of consciousness are becoming available, but there is no established theoretical approach for what these tools are measuring. This article examines several categories of tests for making reasonable inferences about the presence and complexity of consciousness (defined as the capacity for phenomenal/subjective experience) and also suggests ways in which different theories of consciousness may be empirically distinguished. We label the various ways to measure consciousness the measurable correlates of consciousness (MCC) and include three subcategories in our taxonomy: (a) neural correlates of consciousness, (b) behavioral correlates of consciousness, and (c) creative correlates of consciousness. Finally, we reflect on how broader philosophical views about the nature of consciousness, such as materialism and panpsychism, may also be informed by the scientific process.

Primary emotions as predictors for fear of COVID-19 in former inpatients with Major Depressive Disorder and healthy control participants

INTRODUCTION

There are reports of an increase in depressive symptoms and fear during the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular in patients with depression. This study investigates factors related to fear of COVID-19 in former inpatients suffering from depression and healthy controls by assessing variables typically associated with depression and anxiety disorders, i.e. stressful life events (SLEs), the primary emotions SADNESS, PLAY and SEEKING as well as dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies with respect to suppression and reappraisal.

METHODS

Data of n = 44 former inpatients suffering from depression and n = 49 healthy controls were collected. The study had a longitudinal design with two measurement points. Before the pandemic, SLEs, primary emotions, emotion regulation and depression severity were assessed. During the pandemic, COVID-19 associated stressors and life events, emotion regulation, depression severity and fear of COVID-19 were assessed.

RESULTS

Fear of COVID-19 and depression severity during the pandemic were significantly higher in former inpatients than in healthy controls. Depression diagnosis, SLEs and depression severity before the pandemic were significant positive predictors of fear of COVID-19. The primary emotion PLAY was a significant negative predictor of fear of COVID-19. Depression severity did not change significantly in healthy controls.

CONCLUSION

The results show that risk factors for depression might be risk factors for high fear of COVID-19. In addition, a playful personality could help preventing mental stress in pandemic situations. Thus, positivity based interventions could counteract elevated fear scores during a pandemic.

The future of the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales: A reflection on seven pressing matters

The Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) were designed to provide researchers in the mental sciences with an inventory to assess primary emotional systems according to Pankseppian Affective Neuroscience Theory (ANT). The original ANPS, providing researchers with such a tool, was published in 2003. In the present brief communication, about 20 years later, we reflect upon some pressing matters regarding the further development of the ANPS. We touch upon problems related to disentangling traits and states of the primary emotional systems with the currently available versions of the ANPS and upon its psychometric properties and its length. We reflect also on problems such as the large overlap between the SADNESS and FEAR dimensions, the disentangling of PANIC and GRIEF in the context of SADNESS, and the absence of a LUST scale. Lastly, we want to encourage scientists with the present brief communication to engage in further biological validation of the ANPS.

The Emergence of Psychoanalytic Metaneuropsychology: A Neuropsychoanalytically Informed Reconsideration of Early Psychic Development

This paper is principally concerned with reappraising some of the major disagreements that separated the Viennese and the London Kleinians during the British Psychoanalytical Society's Controversial Discussions. Of particular focus are questions pertaining to the genesis of ego development, the beginnings of object-relating, and the role of unconscious phantasy in respect of these phenomena. The aim of the investigation is to inquire into the light that may be shed on the once intractable conflicts surrounding these questions by bringing to bear more recent developments from psychoanalysis and the neurosciences. First, various key issues from the Controversial Discussions are outlined, before the paper turns to work by Jaak Panksepp and Mark Solms that bears on these older arguments and the Freudian theories that underpinned them. With these conceptual foundations established, three questions are posed and discussed with a view to understanding the implications of recent neuropsychoanalytic thinking for some of the entrenched conflicts that divided the British Society. These questions include: (1) what does it mean for the ego if the id is conscious? (2) What does recent neuroscientific knowledge tell us about whether the ego should be thought of as present from birth? (3) How can we understand and locate unconscious phantasy if the main part of the mind that Freud thought of as unconscious is not so? Research from the arena of infant development-particularly the material and analysis of infant observation-is drawn on to illustrate various conclusions. The paper ultimately concludes that taking such an interdisciplinary approach can reveal renewed justification for aspects of the Kleinian metapsychology.

Affective Neuroscience: The Suitability of a Web App to Monitor Affective States at Work

This work describes in detail the use of a new tool, a web-app, based on the conceptual framework of affective neuroscience, in particular on Panksepp’s 7 basic emotional systems. Affective neuroscience has been used effectively in many areas, but there have been very few applications in the workplace, due to the lack of a smart implementation tool. The novelty of this work does not lie in the new information, but in a new “clinical” approach. There is a theoretical framework that allows data to be interpreted rather than simply described. Furthermore, the knowledge of working realities through the web app is specific and longitudinal. Finally, emotions are detected in hic et nunc, so the role of reflexive-cognitive mediation and recall bias are minor. This “more situated” knowledge can then guide specific leadership strategies. This paper presents the results of the tool’s application in a company in Northern Italy. The findings of our project, which recorded basic affective states and the functioning of several working teams, are detailed herein. The project’s 488 web-app records are summarized in this report, alongside our examination of related mood tags. Through this project, our analysis has enabled to determine affective neuroscience profiles of the teams analyzed, allowing the researchers to identify areas of possible interventions. The data appear very encouraging.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Primary Emotional Systems and Emotional Regulation

(1) Background: The COronaVIrus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses a unique challenge as a severe global crisis affecting physical and psychological health. The main purpose of this work is to study the impact of a traumatic event while also observing the human ability to adapt. One of the first theories to study the adaptive importance of the evolutionary lineage of the affective systems is referred to as BrainMind (Panksepp, 2010). This study aims to explore whether primary emotional systems (PES) and emotion regulation (ER) strategies show differences between the pre- and post- lockdown period; and if positive systems and specific emotion regulation pre-pandemic act as a protective or risk factor for mental and physical wellbeing. (2) Methods: 98 participants who had participated in a previous study before the pandemic were re-contacted to refill the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scale (ANPS) and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) after the outbreak of the pandemic with the addition of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90R). (3) Results: The results showed that the COVID-19 lockdown rules had an impact on Emotional Regulation and on a re-balancing of PES. Moreover, pre-pandemic expressive–suppressive ERQ strategies and ANPS SADNESS scores appeared as relevant risk factors, which predicted higher Global Severity Index (GSI) scores during lockdown. (4) Conclusions: The lockdown appears to have activated PLAY and CARE as protective systems, but has detuned the ability to positively reinterpret the situation.

A meta-analysis on individual differences in primary emotional systems and Big Five personality traits

The Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) were constructed as a self-report assessment to measure individual differences in Jaak Panksepp's cross-species primary emotional systems: SEEKING, PLAY, CARE (positive emotions) and FEAR, SADNESS, ANGER (negative emotions). Beginning with the first published work on the ANPS in 2003, individual differences on the ANPS measures of these six primary emotional systems have been consistently linked to Big Five personality traits. From a theoretical perspective, these primary emotional systems arising from subcortical regions, shed light on the nature of the Big Five personality traits from an evolutionary perspective, because each of these primary emotional systems represent a tool for survival endowing mammalian species with inherited behavioral programs to react appropriately to complex environments. The present work revisited 21 available samples where both ANPS and Big Five measures have been administered. Our meta-analytical analysis provides solid evidence that high SEEKING relates to high Openness to Experience, high PLAY to high Extraversion, high CARE/low ANGER to high Agreeableness and high FEAR/SADNESS/ANGER to high Neuroticism. This seems to be true regardless of the ANPS inventory chosen, although much more work is needed in this area. Associations between primary emotional systems and Conscientiousness were in the lower effect size area across all six primary emotions, thereby supporting the idea that Conscientiousness rather seems to be less directly related with the subcortical primary emotions and likely is the most cognitive/cortical personality construct out of the Big Five. In sum, the present work underlines the idea that individual differences in primary emotional systems represent evolutionarily ancient foundations of human personality, given their a) meaningful links to the prominent Big Five model and b) their origins lying in subcortical areas of the human brain.

Black Rage: The Psychic Adaptation to the Trauma of Oppression

Integrating the story of a young Freud's racial trauma with a novel application of the concept of moral injury has led to a realization and conceptual formulation during the pandemic uprisings of the mental construct of Black Rage as an adaptation to oppression trauma. As formulated here, Black Rage exists in a specific dynamic equilibrium as a compromise formation that is a functional adaptation for oppressed people of color who suffer racial trauma and racial degradation, an adaptation that can be mobilized for the purpose of defense or psychic growth. Black Rage operates as a mental construct in a way analogous to the structural model [corrected], in which mental agencies carry psychic functions. The concept of Black Rage is crucial to constructing a theoretical framework for a psychology of oppression and transgenerational transmission of trauma. Additionally, in the psychoanalytic theory on oppression suggested here, a developmental line is formulated for the adaptive function of Black Rage in promoting resilience in the face of oppression trauma for marginalized people.

Brain Activation Imaging in Emotional Decision Making and Mental Health: A Review-Part 2

In this report, we integrate the principles described in part 1 and describe an operational model for emotional decision making that incorporates brain activation data along with subjective experience correlates. This model takes the form of a state machine that carries out transitions between a finite set of 16 possible states of emotional and decision-making response. By considering a 4 × 4 grid of possible states based on left and right activation, in primary (sensation) and secondary (perception/comprehension) response, the range of responses is completely specified. The transition probabilities within this repertoire of possible response states can be used to characterize an individual (or any system) in terms of its likelihood to respond in a particular fashion. The possible value of this model in psychiatry, psychology, and counseling is introduced and discussed.

A comprehensive review of studies using the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales in the psychological and psychiatric sciences

Jaak Panksepp's Affective Neuroscience Theory (ANT) belongs to the most prominent emotion theories in the psychological and psychiatric sciences. ANT proposes the existence of seven primary emotional systems deeply anchored in the mammalian brain. These emotional/motivational systems have been shaped by evolutionary processes and function as tools for survival in mammalian species. The systems are called SEEKING, LUST, CARE, and PLAY, as well as ANGER, FEAR, and SADNESS. Panksepp carved out these emotional systems via means of deep brain stimulation, brain lesion and pharmacological manipulation studies. Davis et al. (2003) designed the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) against the background of findings from ANT. This self-report inventory is meant to enable researchers to assess individual differences in primary emotional systems. Seventeen years have passed since the first version of the ANPS has been published. Therefore, we now provide a comprehensive overview on studies using the ANPS including work from personality science, psychiatry and the neurosciences.

Discussing digital technology overuse in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: On the importance of considering Affective Neuroscience Theory

INTRODUCTION

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown/social distancing, many scientists pointed towards the problem of increased digital technology overuse in both children and adolescents.

METHODS

Although a review of the literature shows that digital technology overuse in youth represents an important topic to be studied itself (during the pandemic and afterwards), the present work also takes into account findings from Affective Neuroscience Theory (ANT).

RESULTS

An investigation of digital overuse while the COVID-19 pandemic (and beyond) against the background of ANT calls for a shift of perspective in research, at least as an important supplement to research efforts querying the actual nature of digital overuse. In the present work, we argue that it is high time to more comprehensively address why children spend too much time with screens and to also highlight the indirect media effects of screen time use (e.g. less mammalian rough and tumble PLAY time outside and elevated SADNESS due to parental neglect).

CONCLUSIONS

In sum, insights from ANT are put forward to guide research shedding light on detrimental aspects of too much screen time in youth.

Relation of promoter methylation of the structural oxytocin gene to critical life events in major depression: A case control study

BACKGROUND

Stressful life events (SLEs) are associated with hyper(re-)activity of the HPA-axis. HPA-axis hyper(re-)activity is thought to be a major risk factor for depression development. SLEs may induce changes in an organism's stress system via epigenetic mechanisms. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) is able to attenuate the stress response, and OT pathways are dysregulated in individuals suffering from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Therefore, the gene coding for oxytocin (OXT) is a possible target for the investigation of depression development.

METHODS

We collected data on SLEs, OXT promoter methylation (Sequenom Epityper MassArray) and depression severity from 90 MDD inpatients and 90 matched healthy controls.

RESULTS

We found MDD inpatients to have a significantly lower OXT methylation than healthy controls. Methylation status was significantly negatively associated with SLEs but only in the group of MDD inpatients. There were no associations between methylation status and depression severity.

LIMITATIONS

Methylation in blood samples is only a proxy for epigenetic profiles in brain tissue. We did not assess mRNA or protein levels and cannot draw conclusions regarding the functionality or specificity of differences in OXT methylation between groups.

CONCLUSION

SLEs leave their traces in the epigenetic profiles of the OT system of MDD inpatients. Alterations in epigenetic profiles of the OXT system could constitute a vulnerability factor predisposing individuals for depression development. Better understanding of DNA methylation profiles of depression-associated genes could serve as basis for a personalized medicine, in which pharmacological or psychotherapeutic treatment of depression is tailored to the patient's individual characteristics.

The role of reward sensitivity in obesity and its association with Transcription Factor AP-2B: A longitudinal birth cohort study

OBJECTIVE

One factor potentially contributing to obesity is reward sensitivity. We investigated the association between reward sensitivity and measures of obesity from 9-33 years of age, paying attention to the inner structure of reward sensitivity.

METHODS

The sample included both birth cohorts (originally n = 1176) of the Estonian Children Personality Behaviour and Health Study. The association between reward sensitivity and measures of obesity was assessed using mixed-effects regression models. Associations at ages 9 (younger cohort only), 15, 18, 25 and 33 (older cohort) years were analyzed by one-way ANOVA. The indirect effect of the gene encoding transcription factor 2 beta (TFAP2B) on obesity through reward sensitivity was tested using mediation analysis.

RESULTS

According to linear mixed effects regression models, an increase in scores of Insatiability by Reward and both of its components, Excessive Spending and Giving in to Cravings, significantly increased body weight, body mass index, sum of five skinfolds, waist circumference, hip circumference and waist-to-height ratio from 15 to 25 years of age. Findings were similar at age 9 and 33 years. In contrast, no association between obesity and Openness to Rewards or its facets was observed. The TFAP2B genotype was also associated with fixation to rewards in females, but not with striving towards reward multiplicity.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that reward sensitivity is associated with obesity by its reward fixation component. The heterogeneity of the reward sensitivity construct should be taken into account in studies on body composition.

Linking individual differences in satisfaction with each of Maslow's needs to the Big Five personality traits and Panksepp's primary emotional systems

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is one of the most impactful theories in motivation psychology and personality science. Therefore, it is surprising that studies linking individual differences in a person's current satisfaction with each of Maslow's needs to the Big Five personality traits are rare. In the present study of 850 participants, associations between the Need Satisfaction Inventory and the Big Five personality traits were examined for the first time. In addition, the administration of the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales provided an evolutionary framework for the present research. Individual differences in the Need Satisfaction Inventory were assessed, but participants were also asked about the current importance of each of Maslow's needs in their lives. This latter approach to viewing Maslow's needs (general rated importance of each need in the life of a person) showed strong deviations from Maslow's proposed order in the classic pyramid depicting the hierarchy of needs.

Depressive Emotionality Moderates the Influence of the BDNF Val66Met Polymorphism on Executive Functions and on Unconscious Semantic Priming

Automatic semantic processing can be assessed using semantic priming paradigms. Individual differences in semantic priming have been associated with differences in executive functions. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met (substitution of valine (Val) to methionine (Met) at codon 66) polymorphism has been shown to be associated with executive functions as well as depression. Depression-associated variables such as depressed mood also moderated the relationship between BDNF Val66Met and executive functions in previous work. In this study, we therefore aimed at investigating whether BDNF Val66Met genotype modulates masked and unmasked semantic priming as well as executive functions and whether sadness is a moderator of these associations. We collected data of N = 155 participants measuring reaction times (RTs) as well as error rates (ERs) in masked and unmasked semantic priming paradigms using a lexical decision task. We assessed the primary emotion of SADNESS using the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scale (ANPS) and working memory using digit span forward and backward tasks. Met+ carriers showed reduced RT priming and increased ER priming in the masked priming paradigm. Even though there was no direct association between BDNF Val66Met and executive functions, SADNESS significantly moderated the association between BDNF Val66Met and executive functions as well as masked RT priming. We suggest that Met+ individuals with low depressive tendencies have not only superior EF, but also a faster and more superficial processing style, compared with Val/Val homozygotes. However, in Met+ individuals, cognitive functioning exhibits a greater vulnerability to depressed emotionality compared with Val/Val homozygotes. Our study thus demonstrates how emotional and molecular genetic factors exert an interacting influence on higher-level cognition.

What Does Our Personality Say About Our Dietary Choices? Insights on the Associations Between Dietary Habits, Primary Emotional Systems and the Dark Triad of Personality

The awareness of the consequences of consuming animal products for the environment and one's own health has been growing in recent years. The aim of the present research project was to examine the relationship between individual differences in biologically rooted primary emotional systems arising from phylogenetically old brain areas and dietary habits including being a vegan/vegetarian or omnivore (Study 1). Additionally, the link between the Dark Triad personality traits and dietary habits was investigated (also Study 1). In Study 2 it was aimed to replicate the associations between the Dark Triad traits and dietary habits in a new sample. In total 1140 (Study 1) and 444 (Study 2) participants took part in the research project. The Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) were applied to assess individual differences in six primary emotional systems. The Short Dark Triad Scale (SD3) was administered to assess individual differences in Machiavellianism, psychopathy and narcissism. The eating style of participants was measured with the Eating Behavior Questionnaire (EBQ). Results of Study 1 demonstrated higher CARE, SADNESS and spirituality scores, and lower PLAY scores in vegans/vegetarians than in omnivores. However, after the sex of the participants was included in the model, the effect on CARE got weaker. Additionally, omnivores scored higher on Machiavellianism, however, this association disappeared when sex was added to the model. In Study 2, higher scores in Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy were reported for the group of omnivores compared to vegans/vegetarians, however, those effects got weaker or disappeared after the sex of participants was added to the model. The present research project adds to the literature by investigating the ANPS model and the Dark Triad of personality in the context of eating style for the first time. The findings of these two studies might help to better understand how people following different types of diet, might differ in their personalities.

Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories

Currently about 2.71 billion humans use a smartphone worldwide. Although smartphone technology has brought many advances, a growing number of scientists discuss potential detrimental effects due to excessive smartphone use. Of importance, the likely culprit to understand over-usage is not the smartphone itself, but the excessive use of applications installed on smartphones. As the current business model of many app-developers foresees an exchange of personal data for allowance to use an app, it is not surprising that many design elements can be found in social media apps and Freemium games prolonging app usage. It is the aim of the present work to analyze several prominent smartphone apps to carve out such elements. As a result of the analysis, a total of six different mechanisms are highlighted to illustrate the prevailing business model in smartphone app development. First, these app-elements are described and second linked to classic psychological/economic theories such as the mere-exposure effect, endowment effect, and Zeigarnik effect, but also to psychological mechanisms triggering social comparison. It is concluded that many of the here presented app-elements on smartphones are able to prolong usage time, but it is very hard to understand such an effect on the level of a single element. A systematic analysis would require insights into app data usually only being available for the app-designers, but not for independent scientists. Nevertheless, the present work supports the notion that it is time to critically reflect on the prevailing business model of 'user data in exchange for app-use allowance'. Instead of using a service in exchange for data, it ultimately might be better to ban or regulate certain design elements in apps to come up with less addictive products. Instead, users could pay a reasonable fee for an app service.

rs2572431 Polymorphism on Chromosome 8 Is Associated With Individual Differences in Anxiety Related Coping Modes

OBJECTIVE

The role of genetic factors in the interplay between anxiety-related coping and personality has been the subject of interest in numerous previous studies. The current study focused on anxiety-related coping modes, namely repression versus sensitization (i.e., cognitive avoidance versus vigilance), and the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2572431. An association between this SNP and anxiety-related personality traits has previously been shown in a genome wide association study, thus further investigation of the relationship between this SNP and anxiety-related coping seems warranted.

METHODS

In the present study, N = 880 mostly Caucasian participants (n = 269 males and n = 611 females; mean-age: 23.88, SD = 7.19) filled in a personality questionnaire assessing individual differences in cognitive avoidance and vigilance, and all participants were genotyped for rs2572431.

RESULTS

Participants homozygous for the T-allele in rs2572431 showed the highest vigilance scores in all scenarios tested. This is in line with findings from an earlier genome wide association study demonstrating that the T-allele is also associated with higher neuroticism scores.

CONCLUSION

The current study yields evidence for the role of rs2572431 in the molecular genetic underpinnings of coping modes and, more broadly, for its connection with personality.