Making a life worth living: neural correlates of well-being.
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.
Urry
Heather L
HL
Department of Psychology and W.M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
Nitschke
Jack B
JB
Dolski
Isa
I
Jackson
Daren C
DC
Dalton
Kim M
KM
Mueller
Corrina J
CJ
Rosenkranz
Melissa A
MA
Ryff
Carol D
CD
Singer
Burton H
BH
Davidson
Richard J
RJ
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