title: Making a life worth living: neural correlates of well-being.
abstract: Despite the vast literature that has implicated asymmetric activation of the prefrontal cortex in approach-withdrawal motivation and emotion, no published reports have directly explored the neural correlates of well-being. Eighty-four right-handed adults (ages 57-60) completed self-report measures of eudaimonic well-being, hedonic well-being, and positive affect prior to resting electroencephalography. As hypothesized, greater left than right superior frontal activation was associated with higher levels of both forms of well-being. Hemisphere-specific analyses documented the importance of goal-directed approach tendencies beyond those captured by approach-related positive affect for eudaimonic but not for hedonic well-being. Appropriately engaging sources of appetitive motivation, characteristic of higher left than right baseline levels of prefrontal activation, may encourage the experience of well-being.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and W.M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
authors.forename: Heather L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Urry
authors.forename: Jack B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Nitschke
authors.forename: Isa
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dolski
authors.forename: Daren C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: Kim M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Dalton
authors.forename: Corrina J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rosenkranz
authors.forename: Carol D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Ryff
authors.forename: Burton H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Davidson
mesh_terms: D001290:Attitude; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004644:Emotions; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology