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Cited by 159Death Anxiety and Social ExclusionBullying, Victimization, and AggressionNeural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Decreased ventral anterior cingulate cortex activity is associated with reduced social pain during emotional support

Onoda, Keiichi, Okamoto, Yasumasa, Nakashima, Ken'ichiro, Nittono, Hiroshi, Ura, Mitsuhiro, Yamawaki, Shigeto·2009·Social Neuroscience
DOI 10.1080/17470910902955884
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Abstract

People feel psychological pain when they are excluded, and this pain is often attenuated when emotional support is received. It is therefore likely that a specific neural mechanism underlies the detection of social exclusion. Similarly, specific neural mechanisms may underlie the beneficial effects of emotional support. Although neuroimaging researchers have recently examined the neural basis of social pain, there is presently no agreement as to which part of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is involved in the perception and modulation of social pain. We hypothesized that activity in those brain regions that are associated with social pain would be correlated with decrements in social pain induced by emotional support. To examine the effects of emotional support on social pain caused by exclusion, we conducted an fMRI study in which participants played a virtual ball-tossing game. Participants were initially included and later excluded from the game. In the latter half of the session from which participants were excluded, participants received emotionally supportive text messages. We found that emotional support led to increased activity in the left lateral/medial prefrontal cortices and some temporal regions. Those individuals who experienced greater attenuation of social pain exhibited lower ventral ACC and higher left lateral prefrontal cortex activation. These results suggest that the ventral ACC underlies social pain, and that emotional support enhances prefrontal cortex activity, which in turn may lead to a weakened affective response.

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  • Recent research suggests that striatal responses can underlie affect-regulating effects of social support.

    “Indeed, positive social feedback and general social support may play an important role in regulating behavior, and recent research suggests that striatal responses can underlie affect-regulating effects of social support 58.”

    From The social brain and reward: Social information processing in the human striatum (2014) · cites this paper as [58]

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Authors
Onoda, K., Okamoto, Y., Nakashima, K., Nittono, H., Ura, M., & Yamawaki, S.
Affiliations
Hiroshima University (JP)
Corresponding author
Yamawaki, Shigeto
ORCID
Venue
Social Neuroscience
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2009-09-08
Volume
4
Issue
5
Pages
443-454
ISSN
  • 1747-0919 (ISSN-L)
  • 1747-0927
DOI
10.1080/17470910902955884
OpenAlex
W2018887529
Cited by
159
References
47
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 13
FWCI
13.49
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Social Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Keywords
social pain, social exclusion, emotional support, ventral anterior cingulate cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, pain attenuation, emotional responses, social rejection
MeSH terms
Adult, Brain Mapping, Decision Making, Emotions, Female, Gyrus Cinguli, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Interpersonal Relations, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Neuropsychological Tests, Oxygen, Pain, Pain Measurement, Reaction Time, Self Concept, Social Isolation, Social Perception, Pain Threshold, Young Adult

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