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Kral TRA, Kesebir P, Redford L, Dahl CJ, Wilson-Mendenhall CD, Hirshberg MJ, Davidson RJ, Tatar R. Healthy Minds Index: A brief measure of the core dimensions of well-being. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0299352. [PMID: 38728238 PMCID: PMC11086875 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
We developed a self-report measure of psychological well-being for teens and adults, the Healthy Minds Index, based on a novel theory that four trainable pillars underlie well-being: awareness, connection, insight, and purpose. Ninety-seven items were developed and revised by experts and guided by qualitative testing with teens (n = 32; average age = 16.0 years). After assessing the internal validity and factor structure in teens (n = 1607; average age = 16.7 years) and adults (n = 420; average age = 45.6 years), we reduced the survey to 17 items. We then validated the factor structure, internal and convergent and divergent validity, and retest reliability of the 17-item Healthy Minds Index in two new teen samples (study 1: n = 1492, average age = 15.7 years; study 2: n = 295, average age = 16.1 years), and one adult sample (n = 285; average age = 45.3 years). The Healthy Minds Index demonstrated adequate validity and provided a comprehensive measure of a novel theory of psychological well-being that includes two domains not found in other conceptualizations of this construct-awareness and insight. This measure will be invaluable for primary research on well-being and as a translational tool to assess the impact and efficacy of widely used behavioral training programs on these core dimensions of wellbeing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tammi R. A. Kral
- Healthy Minds Innovations, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Pelin Kesebir
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Liz Redford
- Healthy Minds Innovations, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Cortland J. Dahl
- Healthy Minds Innovations, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | | | - Matthew J. Hirshberg
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Richard J. Davidson
- Healthy Minds Innovations, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Raquel Tatar
- Healthy Minds Innovations, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
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Abstract
Contemplative interventions designed to cultivate compassion are receiving increasing empirical attention. Accumulating evidence suggests that these interventions bolster prosocial motivation and warmth towards others. Less is known about how these practices impact compassion in everyday life. Here we consider one mechanistic pathway through which compassion practices may impact perception and action in the world: simulation. Evidence suggests that vividly imagining a situation simulates that experience in the brain as if it were, to a degree, actually happening. Thus, we hypothesize that simulation during imagery-based contemplative practices can construct sensorimotor patterns in the brain that prime an individual to act compassionately in the world. We first present evidence across multiple literatures in Psychology that motivates this hypothesis, including the neuroscience of mental imagery and the emerging literature on prosocial episodic simulation. Then, we examine the specific contemplative practices in compassion-based interventions that may construct such simulations. We conclude with future directions for investigating how compassion-based interventions may shape prosocial perception and action in everyday life.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John D. Dunne
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Richard J. Davidson
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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Wilson-Mendenhall CD, Holmes KJ. Lab Meets World: the Case for Use-Inspired Basic Research in Affective Science. Affect Sci 2023; 4:591-599. [PMID: 37744977 PMCID: PMC10514004 DOI: 10.1007/s42761-023-00200-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
We join others in envisioning a future for affective science that addresses society's most pressing needs. To move toward this vision, we consider a research paradigm that emerged in other disciplines: use-inspired basic research. This paradigm transcends the traditional basic-applied dichotomy, which pits the basic goal of fundamental scientific understanding against the applied goal of use in solving social problems. In reality, these goals are complementary, and use-inspired basic research advances them simultaneously. Here, we build a case for use-inspired basic research-how it differs from traditional basic science and why affective scientists should engage in it. We first examine how use-inspired basic research challenges problematic assumptions of a strict basic-applied dichotomy. We then discuss how it is consistent with advances in affective science that recognize context specificity as the norm and consider ethical issues of use being a complementary goal. Following this theoretical discussion, we differentiate the implementation of use-inspired basic research from that of traditional basic science. We draw on examples from recent research to illustrate differences: social problems as a starting point, stakeholder and community engagement, and integration of research and service. In conclusion, we invite affective scientists to embrace the "lab meets world" perspective of use-inspired basic research as a promising pathway to real-world impact.
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Jiwani Z, Tatar R, Dahl C, Wilson-Mendenhall CD, Hirshberg MJ, Davidson RJ, Goldberg SB. Examining Equity in Access and Utilization of a Freely Available Meditation App. Npj Ment Health Res 2023; 2:5. [PMID: 37159797 PMCID: PMC10164442 DOI: 10.1038/s44184-023-00025-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Digital interventions have the potential to alleviate mental health disparities for marginalized and minoritized communities. The current study examined whether disparities in access and utilization of meditation in the United States (US) were reduced for a freely available meditation app. We analyzed demographic and usage data from US-based users of the Healthy Minds Program (HMP; N = 66,482) between October 2019 and July 2022. College education was associated with a greater likelihood of accessing (65.0% of users vs. 32.9% of the US population) and continuing to utilize the app (β = .11-.17). Conversely, identifying as African American was associated lower likelihood of accessing (5.3% vs. 13.4% of US population) and continuing to utilize the app (β = -.02-.03). African Americans were more likely to access content from an African American meditation teacher, but this did not appear to increase utilization. Additional efforts are warranted to identify factors which might reduce disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zishan Jiwani
- Department of Counseling Psychology, University of Wisconsin – Madison
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin – Madison
| | - Raquel Tatar
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin – Madison
- Healthy Minds Innovations
| | - Cortland Dahl
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin – Madison
- Healthy Minds Innovations
| | | | | | - Richard J. Davidson
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin – Madison
- Healthy Minds Innovations
| | - Simon B. Goldberg
- Department of Counseling Psychology, University of Wisconsin – Madison
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin – Madison
- Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Simon B. Goldberg, Department of Counseling Psychology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, 335 Education Building, 1000 Bascom Mall, Madison, WI, 53706.
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Koslouski JB, Wilson-Mendenhall CD, Parsafar P, Goldberg S, Martin MY, Chafouleas SM. Measuring emotional well-being through subjective report: a scoping review of reviews. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e062120. [PMID: 36581416 PMCID: PMC9806051 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-062120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This scoping review of reviews aims to describe the current landscape of measures of emotional well-being (EWB). METHODS Following established practices for scoping reviews, we searched the PsycInfo, ERIC, Scopus and PubMed databases in June and July 2021 for reviews of measures of EWB that described their review methods and psychometric properties of included measures. From each eligible article, two coders independently extracted the authors' (1) definition of EWB, (2) purpose for the review, (3) methods (eg, search terms, inclusion and exclusion criteria), (4) identified measures (including any noted adaptations) and (5) the scope of psychometric information presented. Descriptive and content analyses were used to examine data. RESULTS Forty-nine reviews were included in this scoping review. Reviews included anywhere between 1 and 34 measures of EWB and 135 unique EWB measures were captured across all reviews. We found that there was no consistent definition of EWB, identified measures varied widely and reviews were published in a range of disciplines. Psychometric evidence varied as did authors' purposes for conducting the reviews. CONCLUSIONS Overall, these reviews suggest that literature on EWB measurement is disjointed and diffuse. Conceptual integration and harmonisation of measures is needed to advance knowledge of EWB and its measurement. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS 10.17605/OSF.IO/BQDS7 and 10.17605/OSF.IO/WV8PF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica B Koslouski
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | | | - Parisa Parsafar
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Simon Goldberg
- Department of Counseling Psychology and Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Michelle Y Martin
- Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Sandra M Chafouleas
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
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Wilson-Mendenhall CD, Condon P, Hasenkamp W, MacKerron G, Quigley KS, Barrett LF. The Qwantify app dataset: A remote experience sampling study of desire, emotion, and well-being. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1054292. [DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1054292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Experiences of desire—the feeling of wanting to have, do, or experience something—are pervasive and varied. Recent theoretical advances draw attention to characterizing this variation. Thus, this study investigated experiences of desire in everyday life and co-occurring social, physical, and emotional states, including facets of emotional experiences known to be related to well-being (e.g., perceived loneliness and stress). The Qwantify app was designed to run a remote experience sampling study. Through the app, participants were randomly alerted during their daily life to report on their experience in the moment. During the data collection period, any individual could download the freely available Qwantify app and participate in the study, without providing identifying information or communicating with researchers. Similar to other remote experience sampling studies, an incentive for participants to engage in the study was unlocking visualizations of their own data. Over 600 participants downloaded the app, completed the sign-up process, and responded to at least one experience sampling alert. Approximately 40% of these participants went on to respond to 50 alerts. The purpose of this report is to describe this experience sampling dataset such that it can be used to test a variety of hypotheses, including hypotheses regarding individual differences.
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Abstract
An emerging focus in affective science is the expertise that underlies healthy emotionality. A growing literature highlights emotional granularity - the ability to make fine-grained distinctions in one's affective feelings - as an important skill. Cross-sectional evidence indicating the benefits of emotional granularity raises the question of how emotional granularity might be intentionally cultivated through training. To address this question, we present shared theoretical features of centuries-old Buddhist philosophy and modern constructionist theory that motivate the hypothesis that contemplative practices may improve granularity. We then examine the specific mindfulness-style practices originating in Buddhist traditions that are hypothesized to bolster granularity. We conclude with future directions to empirically test whether emotional granularity can be intentionally cultivated.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John D. Dunne
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
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Abstract
Research indicates that core dimensions of psychological well-being can be cultivated through intentional mental training. Despite growing research in this area and an increasing number of interventions designed to improve psychological well-being, the field lacks a unifying framework that clarifies the dimensions of human flourishing that can be cultivated. Here, we integrate evidence from well-being research, cognitive and affective neuroscience, and clinical psychology to highlight four core dimensions of well-being-awareness, connection, insight, and purpose. We discuss the importance of each dimension for psychological well-being, identify mechanisms that underlie their cultivation, and present evidence of their neural and psychological plasticity. This synthesis highlights key insights, as well as important gaps, in the scientific understanding of well-being and how it may be cultivated, thus highlighting future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cortland J Dahl
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53703;
| | | | - Richard J Davidson
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53703;
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706
- Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53719
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Goldberg SB, Imhoff-Smith T, Bolt DM, Wilson-Mendenhall CD, Dahl CJ, Davidson RJ, Rosenkranz MA. Testing the Efficacy of a Multicomponent, Self-Guided, Smartphone-Based Meditation App: Three-Armed Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Ment Health 2020; 7:e23825. [PMID: 33245288 PMCID: PMC7732708 DOI: 10.2196/23825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A growing number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) suggest psychological benefits associated with meditation training delivered via mobile health. However, research in this area has primarily focused on mindfulness, only one of many meditative techniques. OBJECTIVE This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of 2 versions of a self-guided, smartphone-based meditation app-the Healthy Minds Program (HMP)-which includes training in mindfulness (Awareness), along with practices designed to cultivate positive relationships (Connection) or insight into the nature of the self (Insight). METHODS A three-arm, fully remote RCT compared 8 weeks of one of 2 HMP conditions (Awareness+Connection and Awareness+Insight) with a waitlist control. Adults (≥18 years) without extensive previous meditation experience were eligible. The primary outcome was psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress). Secondary outcomes were social connection, empathy, compassion, self-reflection, insight, rumination, defusion, and mindfulness. Measures were completed at pretest, midtreatment, and posttest between October 2019 and April 2020. Longitudinal data were analyzed using intention-to-treat principles with maximum likelihood. RESULTS A total of 343 participants were randomized and 186 (54.2%) completed at least one posttest assessment. The majority (166/228, 72.8%) of those assigned to HMP conditions downloaded the app. The 2 HMP conditions did not differ from one another in terms of changes in any outcome. Relative to the waitlist control, the HMP conditions showed larger improvements in distress, social connectedness, mindfulness, and measures theoretically linked to insight training (d=-0.28 to 0.41; Ps≤.02), despite modest exposure to connection- and insight-related practice. The results were robust to some assumptions about nonrandom patterns of missing data. Improvements in distress were associated with days of use. Candidate mediators (social connection, insight, rumination, defusion, and mindfulness) and moderators (baseline rumination, defusion, and empathy) of changes in distress were identified. CONCLUSIONS This study provides initial evidence of efficacy for the HMP app in reducing distress and improving outcomes related to well-being, including social connectedness. Future studies should attempt to increase study retention and user engagement. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04139005; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04139005.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon B Goldberg
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Counseling Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | | | - Daniel M Bolt
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | | | - Cortland J Dahl
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
- Healthy Minds Innovations Inc, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Richard J Davidson
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Melissa A Rosenkranz
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
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Wilson-Mendenhall CD, Henriques A, Barsalou LW, Barrett LF. Primary Interoceptive Cortex Activity during Simulated Experiences of the Body. J Cogn Neurosci 2018; 31:221-235. [PMID: 30277431 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Studies of the classic exteroceptive sensory systems (e.g., vision, touch) consistently demonstrate that vividly imagining a sensory experience of the world-simulating it-is associated with increased activity in the corresponding primary sensory cortex. We hypothesized, analogously, that simulating internal bodily sensations would be associated with increased neural activity in primary interoceptive cortex. An immersive, language-based mental imagery paradigm was used to test this hypothesis (e.g., imagine your heart pounding during a roller coaster ride, your face drenched in sweat during a workout). During two neuroimaging experiments, participants listened to vividly described situations and imagined "being there" in each scenario. In Study 1, we observed significantly heightened activity in primary interoceptive cortex (of dorsal posterior insula) during imagined experiences involving vivid internal sensations. This effect was specific to interoceptive simulation: It was not observed during a separate affect focus condition in Study 1 nor during an independent Study 2 that did not involve detailed simulation of internal sensations (instead involving simulation of other sensory experiences). These findings underscore the large-scale predictive architecture of the brain and reveal that words can be powerful drivers of bodily experiences.
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Lebois LAM, Wilson-Mendenhall CD, Simmons WK, Barrett LF, Barsalou LW. Learning situated emotions. Neuropsychologia 2018; 145:106637. [PMID: 29330097 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2017] [Revised: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
From the perspective of constructivist theories, emotion results from learning assemblies of relevant perceptual, cognitive, interoceptive, and motor processes in specific situations. Across emotional experiences over time, learned assemblies of processes accumulate in memory that later underlie emotional experiences in similar situations. A neuroimaging experiment guided participants to experience (and thus learn) situated forms of emotion, and then assessed whether participants tended to experience situated forms of the emotion later. During the initial learning phase, some participants immersed themselves in vividly imagined fear and anger experiences involving physical harm, whereas other participants immersed themselves in vividly imagined fear and anger experiences involving negative social evaluation. In the subsequent testing phase, both learning groups experienced fear and anger while their neural activity was assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). A variety of results indicated that the physical and social learning groups incidentally learned different situated forms of a given emotion. Consistent with constructivist theories, these findings suggest that learning plays a central role in emotion, with emotion adapted to the situations in which it is experienced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A M Lebois
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital and Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, USA
| | | | - W Kyle Simmons
- The Laureate Institute for Brain Research, USA; Faculty of Community Medicine, University of Tulsa, USA
| | - Lisa Feldman Barrett
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, USA; Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, USA
| | - Lawrence W Barsalou
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, UK; School of Psychology, University of Glasgow, UK.
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Abstract
In response to Casasanto, Brookshire, and Ivry (2015), we address four points: First, we engaged in conceptual replications of Brookshire, Casasanto, and Ivry (2010), not direct replications. Second, we did not question the validity of Brookshire et al.'s (2010) results, nor the similar findings of other researchers, but instead explained divergent findings within an integrated theoretical framework. Third, challenges to the construct of automaticity, including ours, were widespread, long before Brookshire et al.'s (2010) article. Fourth, the planned comparisons that we reported tested our theoretical claims and offered strong evidence for them.
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Wilson-Mendenhall CD, Barrett LF, Barsalou LW. Variety in emotional life: within-category typicality of emotional experiences is associated with neural activity in large-scale brain networks. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2015; 10:62-71. [PMID: 24563528 PMCID: PMC4994840 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsu037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2012] [Revised: 02/19/2014] [Accepted: 02/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The tremendous variability within categories of human emotional experience receives little empirical attention. We hypothesized that atypical instances of emotion categories (e.g. pleasant fear of thrill-seeking) would be processed less efficiently than typical instances of emotion categories (e.g. unpleasant fear of violent threat) in large-scale brain networks. During a novel fMRI paradigm, participants immersed themselves in scenarios designed to induce atypical and typical experiences of fear, sadness or happiness (scenario immersion), and then focused on and rated the pleasant or unpleasant feeling that emerged (valence focus) in most trials. As predicted, reliably greater activity in the 'default mode' network (including medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate) was observed for atypical (vs typical) emotional experiences during scenario immersion, suggesting atypical instances require greater conceptual processing to situate the socio-emotional experience. During valence focus, reliably greater activity was observed for atypical (vs typical) emotional experiences in the 'salience' network (including anterior insula and anterior cingulate), suggesting atypical instances place greater demands on integrating shifting body signals with the sensory and social context. Consistent with emerging psychological construction approaches to emotion, these findings demonstrate that is it important to study the variability within common categories of emotional experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine D Wilson-Mendenhall
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, 125 Nightingale Hall, Boston, MA 02115 and Department of Psychology, Emory University, 483 Psychology and Interdisciplinary Sciences Building, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Lisa Feldman Barrett
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, 125 Nightingale Hall, Boston, MA 02115 and Department of Psychology, Emory University, 483 Psychology and Interdisciplinary Sciences Building, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Lawrence W Barsalou
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, 125 Nightingale Hall, Boston, MA 02115 and Department of Psychology, Emory University, 483 Psychology and Interdisciplinary Sciences Building, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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14
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Lebois LAM, Wilson-Mendenhall CD, Barsalou LW. Are Automatic Conceptual Cores the Gold Standard of Semantic Processing? The Context-Dependence of Spatial Meaning in Grounded Congruency Effects. Cogn Sci 2014; 39:1764-801. [DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2013] [Revised: 02/07/2014] [Accepted: 02/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Abstract
Psychological construction approaches to emotion suggest that emotional experience is situated and dynamic. Fear, for example, is typically studied in a physical danger context (e.g., threatening snake), but in the real world, it often occurs in social contexts, especially those involving social evaluation (e.g., public speaking). Understanding situated emotional experience is critical because adaptive responding is guided by situational context (e.g., inferring the intention of another in a social evaluation situation vs. monitoring the environment in a physical danger situation). In an fMRI study, we assessed situated emotional experience using a newly developed paradigm in which participants vividly imagine different scenarios from a first-person perspective, in this case scenarios involving either social evaluation or physical danger. We hypothesized that distributed neural patterns would underlie immersion in social evaluation and physical danger situations, with shared activity patterns across both situations in multiple sensory modalities and in circuitry involved in integrating salient sensory information, and with unique activity patterns for each situation type in coordinated large-scale networks that reflect situated responding. More specifically, we predicted that networks underlying the social inference and mentalizing involved in responding to a social threat (in regions that make up the “default mode” network) would be reliably more active during social evaluation situations. In contrast, networks underlying the visuospatial attention and action planning involved in responding to a physical threat would be reliably more active during physical danger situations. The results supported these hypotheses. In line with emerging psychological construction approaches, the findings suggest that coordinated brain networks offer a systematic way to interpret the distributed patterns that underlie the diverse situational contexts characterizing emotional life.
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Wilson-Mendenhall CD, Simmons WK, Martin A, Barsalou LW. Contextual processing of abstract concepts reveals neural representations of nonlinguistic semantic content. J Cogn Neurosci 2013; 25:920-35. [PMID: 23363408 PMCID: PMC3947606 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Concepts develop for many aspects of experience, including abstract internal states and abstract social activities that do not refer to concrete entities in the world. The current study assessed the hypothesis that, like concrete concepts, distributed neural patterns of relevant nonlinguistic semantic content represent the meanings of abstract concepts. In a novel neuroimaging paradigm, participants processed two abstract concepts (convince, arithmetic) and two concrete concepts (rolling, red) deeply and repeatedly during a concept-scene matching task that grounded each concept in typical contexts. Using a catch trial design, neural activity associated with each concept word was separated from neural activity associated with subsequent visual scenes to assess activations underlying the detailed semantics of each concept. We predicted that brain regions underlying mentalizing and social cognition (e.g., medial prefrontal cortex, superior temporal sulcus) would become active to represent semantic content central to convince, whereas brain regions underlying numerical cognition (e.g., bilateral intraparietal sulcus) would become active to represent semantic content central to arithmetic. The results supported these predictions, suggesting that the meanings of abstract concepts arise from distributed neural systems that represent concept-specific content.
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Abstract
Research on the "emotional brain" remains centered around the idea that emotions like fear, happiness, and sadness result from specialized and distinct neural circuitry. Accumulating behavioral and physiological evidence suggests, instead, that emotions are grounded in core affect--a person's fluctuating level of pleasant or unpleasant arousal. A neuroimaging study revealed that participants' subjective ratings of valence (i.e., pleasure/displeasure) and of arousal evoked by various fear, happiness, and sadness experiences correlated with neural activity in specific brain regions (orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala, respectively). We observed these correlations across diverse instances within each emotion category, as well as across instances from all three categories. Consistent with a psychological construction approach to emotion, the results suggest that neural circuitry realizes more basic processes across discrete emotions. The implicated brain regions regulate the body to deal with the world, producing the affective changes at the core of emotions and many other psychological phenomena.
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Hasenkamp W, Wilson-Mendenhall CD, Duncan E, Barsalou LW. Mind wandering and attention during focused meditation: a fine-grained temporal analysis of fluctuating cognitive states. Neuroimage 2011; 59:750-60. [PMID: 21782031 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 337] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2011] [Revised: 06/29/2011] [Accepted: 07/05/2011] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies have suggested that the default mode network is active during mind wandering, which is often experienced intermittently during sustained attention tasks. Conversely, an anticorrelated task-positive network is thought to subserve various forms of attentional processing. Understanding how these two systems work together is central for understanding many forms of optimal and sub-optimal task performance. Here we present a basic model of naturalistic cognitive fluctuations between mind wandering and attentional states derived from the practice of focused attention meditation. This model proposes four intervals in a cognitive cycle: mind wandering, awareness of mind wandering, shifting of attention, and sustained attention. People who train in this style of meditation cultivate their abilities to monitor cognitive processes related to attention and distraction, making them well suited to report on these mental events. Fourteen meditation practitioners performed breath-focused meditation while undergoing fMRI scanning. When participants realized their mind had wandered, they pressed a button and returned their focus to the breath. The four intervals above were then constructed around these button presses. We hypothesized that periods of mind wandering would be associated with default mode activity, whereas cognitive processes engaged during awareness of mind wandering, shifting of attention and sustained attention would engage attentional subnetworks. Analyses revealed activity in brain regions associated with the default mode during mind wandering, and in salience network regions during awareness of mind wandering. Elements of the executive network were active during shifting and sustained attention. Furthermore, activations during these cognitive phases were modulated by lifetime meditation experience. These findings support and extend theories about cognitive correlates of distributed brain networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy Hasenkamp
- Emory University, Department of Psychology, 36 Eagle Row, Suite 270, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
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Wilson-Mendenhall CD, Barrett LF, Simmons WK, Barsalou LW. Grounding emotion in situated conceptualization. Neuropsychologia 2011; 49:1105-1127. [PMID: 21192959 PMCID: PMC3078178 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.12.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 234] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2010] [Revised: 12/03/2010] [Accepted: 12/20/2010] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
According to the Conceptual Act Theory of Emotion, the situated conceptualization used to construe a situation determines the emotion experienced. A neuroimaging experiment tested two core hypotheses of this theory: (1) different situated conceptualizations produce different forms of the same emotion in different situations, (2) the composition of a situated conceptualization emerges from shared multimodal circuitry distributed across the brain that produces emotional states generally. To test these hypotheses, the situation in which participants experienced an emotion was manipulated. On each trial, participants immersed themselves in a physical danger or social evaluation situation and then experienced fear or anger. According to Hypothesis 1, the brain activations for the same emotion should differ as a function of the preceding situation (after removing activations that arose while constructing the situation). According to Hypothesis 2, the critical activations should reflect conceptual processing relevant to the emotion in the current situation, drawn from shared multimodal circuitry underlying emotion. The results supported these predictions and demonstrated the compositional process that produces situated conceptualizations dynamically.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - W Kyle Simmons
- The Laureate Institute for Brain Research, United States
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