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Cited by 682Functional Brain Connectivity StudiesMind wandering and attentionNeural dynamics and brain function

The default mode network: where the idiosyncratic self meets the shared social world

Open access
Yeshurun, Yaara, Nguyen, Mai, Hasson, Uri·2021·Nature Reviews Neuroscience
DOI 10.1038/s41583-020-00420-wPMC PMC7959111
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Abstract

The default mode network (DMN) is classically considered an ‘intrinsic’ system, specializing in internally oriented cognitive processes such as daydreaming, reminiscing and future planning. In this Perspective, we suggest that the DMN is an active and dynamic ‘sense-making’ network that integrates incoming extrinsic information with prior intrinsic information to form rich, context-dependent models of situations as they unfold over time. We review studies that relied on naturalistic stimuli, such as stories and movies, to demonstrate how an individual’s DMN neural responses are influenced both by external information accumulated as events unfold over time and by the individual’s idiosyncratic past memories and knowledge. The integration of extrinsic and intrinsic information over long timescales provides a space for negotiating a shared neural code, which is necessary for establishing shared meaning, shared communication tools, shared narratives and, above all, shared communities and social networks. The role of the default mode network (DMN) is unclear. In this Perspective, Yeshurun, Nguyen and Hasson review evidence that the DMN integrates extrinsic inputs with intrinsic information over long timescales, enabling it to represent meaning in a way that can be shared between individuals.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1038/s41583-020-00420-w

Cites

159 of 159 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Claims the paper makes

0 of 76 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

  • Interpretationreasoning

    The default mode network should not be considered an intrinsic system that is active only during internally oriented or stimulus-independent processes.

    “Therefore, the DMN should not be considered an intrinsic system active only during internally oriented or stimulus-independent processes.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Interpretationreasoning

    The default mode network is sensitive to long-term memories.

    “The DMN is sensitive to long-term memories.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Interpretationreasoning

    An individual's default mode network neural responses are shaped by external information that accumulates as events unfold over time.

    “to demonstrate how an individual’s DMN neural responses are influenced both by external information accumulated as events unfold over time and by the individual’s idiosyncratic past memories and knowledge.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Interpretationreasoning

    Integrating extrinsic and intrinsic information over long timescales creates a space for negotiating a shared neural code that is necessary for shared meaning, communication tools, narratives, and communities.

    “The integration of extrinsic and intrinsic information over long timescales provides a space for negotiating a shared neural code, which is necessary for establishing shared meaning, shared communication tools, shared narratives and, above all, shared communities and social networks.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Interpretationreasoning

    The default mode network should not be considered an extrinsic system that is sensitive only to incoming sensory information.

    “Therefore, the DMN should not be considered an extrinsic system, sensitive only to incoming sensory information.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 11
  • May combine two claims. 17

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationcitation

    Individual differences in how people perceive the world can account for individual differences in default mode network responses.

    “The finding that responses in the DMN are shaped by our long-term memories and beliefs raises the intriguing possibility that individual differences in the way we perceive the world can account for individual differences in DMN responses.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given

    A person's knowledge, memories, and beliefs are shaped by the people they are connected to and by the world in which they are immersed.

    “However, at the same time, our knowledge, memories and beliefs are shaped by the people we are connected to and the world in which we are immersed (Fig. 1b).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given

    The ability to integrate information over days is necessary for building schemas.

    “The ability to integrate information over days is necessary for building schemas, a mental codification of experience.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

    Interpretationreasoning

    Because default mode network activity is shaped by a person's unique history, it is inherently idiosyncratic.

    “As the activity in the DMN is shaped by our unique history, it is by nature idiosyncratic.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    Default mode network responses can be shaped by information accumulated across many minutes during uninterrupted viewing and by information gathered over days, and conceivably years.

    “This result suggests that the responses in the DMN can be shaped by information accumulated across many minutes during uninterrupted viewing (short-term context) as well as by information gathered over days (as in the long-term context group) — and, conceivably, even years.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [55] Chen, J. et al. Accessing real-life episodic information from minutes versus hours earlier modulates hippocampal and high-order cortical dynamics. Cereb. Cortex 26, 3428–3441 (2015). source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    In a study where participants watched an episode with long-term context, short-term context, or no context, inter-subject correlation in the default mode network was greater among participants with background knowledge than among those without, and responses were similar across short-term and long-term context groups.

    “Inter-subject correlation in the DMN was greater among participants who had the background knowledge to interpret the clip than among participants who did not. Crucially, responses in the DMN were similar across the short-term context and the long-term context groups”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [55] Chen, J. et al. Accessing real-life episodic information from minutes versus hours earlier modulates hippocampal and high-order cortical dynamics. Cereb. Cortex 26, 3428–3441 (2015). source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    The default mode network comprises the posterior medial cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, and temporoparietal junction.

    “The DMN, which includes the posterior medial cortex, medial prefrontal cortex and temporoparietal junction1–3”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites [1] Buckner, R. L. & DiNicola, L. M. The brain’s default network: updated anatomy, physiology and evolving insights. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 20, 593–608 (2019). source

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites [2] Raichle, M. E. The brain’s default mode network. Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 38, 433–447 (2015). source

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites [3] Andrews-Hanna, J. R., Reidler, J. S., Sepulcre, J., Poulin, R. & Buckner, R. L. Functional-anatomic fractionation of the brain’s default network. Neuron 65, 550–562 (2010). source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Activity in the default mode network is sensitive to intrinsic information such as long-term memories, conditional responses, beliefs, and emotions, which influences how incoming external information is interpreted and processed.

    “Second, we argue that activity in the DMN is nonetheless sensitive to intrinsic information (long-term memories, conditional responses, beliefs, emotions and so on), which influences and interacts with the interpretation and processing of incoming external information (bottom arrow in Fig. 1a).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Within-brain functional connectivity patterns are heavily influenced by direct and indirect anatomical wiring and are less sensitive for isolating spontaneous activity from stimulus-locked activity.

    “within-brain functional connectivity patterns are heavily influenced by direct and indirect anatomical wiring, but are less sensitive for isolating spontaneous activity (for example, during rest) from stimulus-locked activity that propagates through the network as during processing of extrinsic information26,28.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [26] Simony, E. et al. Dynamic reconfiguration of the default mode network during narrative comprehension. Nat. Commun. 7, 12141 (2016). source

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites [28] Nastase, S. A., Liu, Y.-F., Hillman, H., Norman, K. A. & Hasson, U. Leveraging shared connectivity to aggregate heterogeneous datasets into a common response space. NeuroImage 15, 116865 (2020). source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    The default mode network provides a space in which social others can shape the self, which in turn enables the self to shape the memories and beliefs of others.

    “we argue that the DMN provides a space for social ‘others’ (the extrinsic people we interact with) to shape the self (our set of intrinsic memories and beliefs), which in turn can enable us to shape the memories and beliefs of others.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Increased alignment in neural response across subjects in the default mode network is correlated with similarity in interpretation of spoken narratives, emotional response over time, humour perception, socio-sexual desire, and moral decision-making.

    “Similar studies have reported that increased alignment in neural response across subjects in the DMN is correlated with the similarity in interpretation of spoken narratives69, similarity in emotional response over time during spoken narratives70, similarity in humour perception over time71, similarity in socio-sexual desire while watching erotic movies72 and similarity in moral decision-making73,”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites [69] Saalasti, S. et al. Inferior parietal lobule and early visual areas support elicitation of individualized meanings during narrative listening. Brain Behav. 9, e01288 (2019). source

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites [70] Smirnov, D. et al. Emotions amplify speaker–listener neural alignment. Hum. Brain Mapp. 40, 4777–4788 (2019). source

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites [71] Jääskeläinen, I. P. et al. Brain hemodynamic activity during viewing and re-viewing of comedy movies explained by experienced humor. Sci. Rep. 6, 27741 (2016). source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    Default mode network responses are locked to the content of stimuli over long timescales and are relatively invariant to low-level stimulus properties that do not change the interpretation of the stimuli.

    “DMN responses are locked to the content of the stimuli over long timescales. At the same time, they are relatively invariant to even dramatic changes in low-level stimulus properties that do not change the interpretation (meaning) of the stimuli.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

    Premisenone given

    Making sense of the world is a dynamic process that requires integrating incoming information with prior knowledge about the situation over multiple timescales.

    “Making sense of the world is a dynamic, ever-changing process requiring the integration of incoming information with prior knowledge about the situation over multiple timescales.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

    Interpretationreasoning

    The shared representation in the default mode network arises from dynamical social interaction between the self and others.

    “Here, we propose that the shared representation in the DMN arises from dynamical social interaction between the self and others.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    In group discussions, conversational leaders emerge naturally, and the leader's neural activity more strongly predicts the followers' neural activity than vice versa.

    “A later study using fNIRS identified conversational ‘leaders’ that emerge naturally in group discussions and used Granger causality analysis to show that the leader’s neural activity more strongly predicted the followers’ neural activity than vice versa101.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [101] Jiang, J. et al. Leader emergence through interpersonal neural synchronization. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 112, 4274–4279 (2015). source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Face-to-face communication elicits greater brain-brain coupling than back-to-back communication, suggesting a role of non-verbal signals in enhancing communication and neural alignment.

    “this approach showed that face-to-face communication elicits greater brain–brain coupling than does back-to-back communication100, suggesting a role of non-verbal signals in enhancing communication and neural alignment.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [100] Jiang, J. et al. Neural synchronization during face-to-face communication. J. Neurosci. 32, 16064–16069 (2012). source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Caregiver-child default mode network coupling emerges early in development and likely plays a role in learning and language acquisition.

    “Together, these findings suggest that that caregiver–child DMN coupling emerges early in development and likely plays a role in learning and language acquisition.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    In language areas and the default mode network, listeners' brain responses lagged behind the speaker's brain responses, suggesting that the speaker's brain causally shaped the listeners' brains.

    “By contrast, in language areas and the DMN, the responses in the listeners’ brains lagged behind the responses in the speaker’s brain, suggesting that responses in the speaker’s brain causally shaped the responses in the listeners’ brains.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [86] Stephens, G. J., Silbert, L. J. & Hasson, U. Speaker–listener neural coupling underlies successful communication. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 107, 14425–14430 (2010). source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    When people process culturally relevant material, such as stories about protected collectivist values, neural response differences appear between cultures and may track how strongly individuals identify with their culture.

    “Group-level differences in neural responses between cultures have also been observed during processing of culturally relevant stimuli, such as stories describing protected collectivist values, that may be related to the degree of identification with the culture120,121.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [120] Kaplan, J. T. et al. Processing narratives concerning protected values: a cross-cultural investigation of neural correlates. Cereb. Cortex 27, 1428–1438 (2017).

      Not checked in the free run.

    • cites [121] Levy, J. et al. Adolescents growing up amidst intractable conflict attenuate brain response to pain of outgroup. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 113, 13696–13701 (2016). source

      Not checked in the free run.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Our mutual shaping with others partly depends on DMN activity, which can both influence other brains' responses and be influenced by their actions during social interaction.

    “In this Perspective, we argue that we are able to shape and be shaped by others in part because activity in the DMN is capable of both shaping other brains’ responses and being shaped by the actions of other brains during social interaction.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Neural patterns in the default mode network are shared across participants and aligned to the abstract structure and interpretation of external events.

    “Perhaps one of the most intriguing findings across these studies is the discovery of neural patterns in the DMN that are shared across participants and aligned to the abstract structure and interpretation of the external events.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    The DMN is 'default' because it centrally integrates external and internal information, enabling shared communication, meanings, narratives, communities and social networks.

    “Rather, we suggest that the DMN is ‘default’ because it is central for integrating external and internal information, allowing for shared communication and alignment tools, shared meanings, shared narratives and, above all, shared communities and social networks.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Telling stories together and forming collaborations strengthen this coupling even more.

    “Sharing stories and building collaborations further enhance such coupling.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

    Interpretationreasoning

    Building shared ways to understand and act is a continuing communal process that blends our own idiosyncratic perspectives and actions with those of others.

    “Developing shared ways to understand and act in the world is an evolving communal effort in which we synthesize our intrinsic idiosyncratic perspectives and actions with the extrinsic perspectives and actions of others.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    The DMN is not 'default' because it is active during inward focus, nor because it is shaped by other people.

    “In this Perspective, we argue that the DMN is ‘default’ not because it is engaged when we are looking inward, nor because it is shaped by others.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
25 of 25

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Naturalistic stimuli such as stories and movies engage the same default mode network processes that operate during real-world social interaction.

    “These findings also highlight the importance of studying the brain’s dynamics under temporally extended, ecological conditions29.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Sensory areas produce shared neural activity because they tend to align with low-level perceptual features of external stimuli.

    “Shared neural activity at the sensory level naturally arises from the tendency of these areas to align with the low-level perceptual properties of the external stimuli.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    A given situation can be conveyed through speech, writing or abstract animated shapes.

    “The same situation can be described using spoken words, written text or abstract animated shapes.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Across contexts, the same situation can carry very different meanings tied to different actions.

    “Conversely, the same situation can have markedly different meanings associated with different actions across different contexts.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    In formal education, new and sometimes technical information has to pass from an expert's brain to novices' brains.

    “In such contexts, novel, sometimes jargonized, information must be transmitted from an expert’s brain to novices’ brains.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    A central feature of formal teaching and learning is the growth of shared understanding of concepts.

    “The development of shared understanding of concepts is also the hallmark of teaching and learning in formal education.”
6 of 6

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • The journey of Anonymized-MOOC-Platform-CL members through stimulating disruptions, resolving conflicts, and creating new operational models reflects the core of Engeström's Activity Theory and the novel discovery of neuro-alignment among team members through social interaction.

    “The journey of Anonymized-MOOC-Platform-CL members through stimulating disruptions, resolving conflicts, and creating new operational models indeed reflects the core of Engeström's Activity Theory and even the novel discovery of neuro-alignment among team members through social interaction (Yeshurun et al., 2021).”

    From Transforming Online Teacher Training Through Expansive Learning: A Case Study Applying Cultural-Historical Activity Theory and the Change Laboratory Method (2025) · cites this paper as Yeshurun et al., 2021

    Split into 2 atoms — 1 confirmed, 1 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Ongoing DMN activity of two individuals becomes synchronized when they process shared narratives, with DMN synchronization being particularly sensitive to social communicative cues.

    “An innovative research direction using naturalistic stimuli has demonstrated that ongoing DMN activity of two individuals becomes synchronized when they process shared narratives, with DMN synchronization being particularly sensitive to social communicative cues. 47”

    From 20 years of the default mode network: A review and synthesis. (2023) · cites this paper as [47]

  • The DMN consistently responds to various aspects of social content and context, encompassing the consideration of mental states, making inferences about others' mental states, and establishing shared meaning and narratives about the self in the world.

    “In summary, the DMN consistently responds to various aspects of social content and context, encompassing the consideration of mental states, making inferences about others' mental states, and establishing shared meaning and narratives about the self in the world. 47”

    From 20 years of the default mode network: A review and synthesis. (2023) · cites this paper as [47]

  • Humans operate an online mechanism for accumulating information and integrating it into a broader contextual memory, which is changed and updated as the story unfolds.

    “Rather, humans operate an online mechanism for accumulating information and integrating it into a broader contextual memory, which is changed and updated as the story unfolds17,18.”

    From Incremental accumulation of linguistic context in artificial and biological neural networks (2025) · cites this paper as [17]

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Infant-caregiver finding is cited to unrelated references

    Minor

    The claim about scans of infants aged 9-10 months cites references 1-3, but those entries concern the default mode network's anatomy and organization, not infant-caregiver scanning. The bibliography lists an infant-adult coupling study as reference 109.

1 of 1

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Serre, T. in Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience (eds Jaeger, D. & Jung, R.) 1–12 (Springer, 2013).
  2. Dodel, S. et al. in Foundations of Augmented Cognition. Directing the Future of Adaptive Systems (eds Schmorrow, D. D. & Fidopiastis, C. M.) 288–297 (Springer, 2011).

Cited by

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Related

Authors
Yeshurun, Y., Nguyen, M., & Hasson, U.
Affiliations
Tel Aviv University (IL)
Corresponding author
  • Yeshurun, Yaara
  • Hasson, Uri
ORCID
Venue
Nature Reviews Neuroscience
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2021-01-22
Volume
22
Issue
3
Pages
181-192
ISSN
  • 1471-003X (ISSN-L)
  • 1471-0048
DOI
10.1038/s41583-020-00420-w
PMC
PMC7959111
OpenAlex
W3124266865
Semantic Scholar
8e557932685d74b99d485eb4e7caccac4dc1394a
Cited by
682
References
156
Citations by year
2026: 94 · 2025: 141 · 2024: 148 · 2023: 125 · 2022: 127 · 2021: 44 · 2020: 2 · 2016: 1
FWCI
16.30
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Nature reviews. Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH112566)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (DP1HD091948)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Mind wandering and attention
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
Keywords
default mode network, extrinsic information, sensemaking, shared meaning, social cognition, memory integration, narrative comprehension, naturalistic stimuli, social networks
MeSH terms
Default Mode Network, Animals, Cognition, Communication, Ego, Humans, Nerve Net, Nervous System Physiological Phenomena, Neural Pathways

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