Existential neuroscience: effects of mortality salience on the neurocognitive processing of attractive opposite-sex faces.
Being reminded of the inherently finite nature of human existence has been demonstrated to elicit strivings for sexual reproduction and the formation and maintenance of intimate relationships. Recently, it has been proposed that the perception of potential mating partners is influenced by mortality salience. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated the neurocognitive processing of attractive opposite-sex faces after priming with death-related words for heterosexual men and women. Significant modulations of behavioral and neural responses were found when participants were requested to decide whether they would like to meet the presented person. Men were more in favor of meeting attractive women after being primed with death-related words compared to a no-prime condition. Increased neural activation could be found under mortality salience in the left anterior insula and the adjacent lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC) for both men and women. As previously suggested, we believe that the lPFC activation reflects an approach-motivated defense mechanism to overcome concerns that are induced by being reminded of death and dying. Our results provide insight on a neurocognitive level that approach motivation in general, and mating motivation in particular is modulated by mortality salience.
Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria.
Sarita
S
Silveira
Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria.
Verena
V
Graupmann
Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria.
Maria
M
Agthe
Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria.
Evgeny
E
Gutyrchik
Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria.
Janusch
J
Blautzik
Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria.
Idil
I
Demirçapa
Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria.
Andrea
A
Berndt
Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria.
Ernst
E
Pöppel
Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria.
Dieter
D
Frey
Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria.
Maximilian
M
Reiser
Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria kristina.hennig-fast@univie.ac.at.
Kristina
K
Hennig-Fast
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D055815:Young Adult
D010100:Oxygen
attractiveness; fMRI; lateral prefrontal cortex; mortality salience; terror management theory