Religious beliefs influence neural substrates of self-reflection in Tibetans.
Previous transcultural neuroimaging studies have shown that the neural substrates of self-reflection can be shaped by different cultures. There are few studies, however, on the neural activity of self-reflection where religion is viewed as a form of cultural expression. The present study examined the self-processing of two Chinese ethnic groups (Han and Tibetan) to investigate the significant role of religion on the functional anatomy of self-representation. We replicated the previous results in Han participants with the ventral medial prefrontal cortex and left anterior cingulate cortex showing stronger activation in self-processing when compared with other-processing conditions. However, no typical self-reference pattern was identified in Tibetan participants on behavioral or neural levels. This could be explained by the minimal subjective sense of 'I-ness' in Tibetan Buddhists. Our findings lend support to the presumed role of culture and religion in shaping the neural substrate of self.
Wu
Yanhong
Y
Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing, PR China. wuyh@pku.edu.cn
Wang
Cheng
C
He
Xi
X
Mao
Lihua
L
Zhang
Li
L
D000293:Adolescent; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002016:Buddhism / Q000523:psychology*; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D011578:Psycholinguistics; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012067:Religion; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012649:Self Concept; D012660:Semantics; D018609:Tibet; D055815:Young Adult