Mentalizing and the Role of the Posterior Superior Temporal Sulcus in Sharing Others' Embarrassment

Abstract

The experience of embarrassment provides a highly salient cue for the human moral apparatus. Interestingly, people also experience embarrassment on behalf of others' inappropriate conditions. The perceiver's embarrassment often lacks an equivalent expression of embarrassment in the social counterpart. The present study examines this phenomenon and distinguishes neural circuits involved in embarrassment with and embarrassment for another person's mishaps. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we show that the embarrassment on behalf of others engages the temporal pole and the medial prefrontal cortex, central structures of the mentalizing network, together with the anterior insula and anterior cingulate cortex. In contrast, sharing others' embarrassment additionally stimulated the posterior superior temporal sulcus (STS), which exhibited increased functional integration with inferior parietal and insular cortex areas. These findings characterize common neural circuits involved in the embodied representation of embarrassment and further unravel the unique role of the posterior STS in sharing others' affective state.

Neuronal pathways of embarrassment

“…This supports the assumption of so-called shared circuits-brain regions, in which both one's own as well as the emotional experience of others are represented and thus become consciously accessible and available [4]. This is confirmed by a strong association of subjectively perceived intensity of the vicarious embarrassment and the activity in the AI/ACC network [9]. Furthermore, on a neural level, the effects of social proximity on the vicarious expe- .…”

“…The same network is also involved, when we feel physical pain on our own body, but also in the case of vicarious experiences of physical or social pain [6,9,11]. It should be noted that the overlap between the involved brain regions has corroborated the idea of similar neural processes underlying social and physical pain which, however, could not be finally clarified yet.…”

Multidimensional assessment of empathic abilities in patients with insular glioma

“…Sharing the emotions of others is another component of AE. Previous neuroimaging studies have shown that regions that are known to be involved in the perception of emotions in others include the insula, the amygdale, the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), the limbic regions, the right fusiform cortex, and the superior temporal sulcus (STS) (Banks, Eddy, Angstadt, Nathan, & Phan, 2007;Paulus, Müller-Pinzler, Jansen, Gazzola, & Krach, 2015;Wager, Davidson, Hughes, Lindquist, & Ochsner, 2008). Calder et al (2000) described a case wherein a patient presented with an impairment in the experience and recognition of the emotion of disgust following a left hemisphere infarction that involved the insula and the basal ganglia .…”

Neuronale Schaltkreise des Peinlichkeitserlebens

“…Specifically autism spectrum disorders and social anxiety disorders have core symptoms in the social domain that manifest in social interactions causing disturbances in social behavior and reduced well-being of affected individuals. [8][9][10]. Es ist anzumerken, dass hier aufgrund der Ähnlichkeit der beteiligten Hirnregionen eine Parallele zwischen sozialen und physischen Schmerzen gezogen wird, die noch nicht abschließend geklärt ist.…”

“…Dies entspricht der Annahme sogenannter shared-circuits, also Hirnregionen, in denen sowohl das eigene als auch das Gefühlserleben anderer repräsentiert und damit bewusst zugänglich und abrufbar wird [12]. Dies wird bestätigt durch einen engen Zusammenhang zwischen der subjektiv wahrgenommenen Intensität der stellvertretenden Peinlichkeit und der Aktivität im AI/ACC -Netzwerk [8] höhten Kopplung von Regionen aus dem Mentalizing-System und des ACC/AINetzwerkes mit der ventralen Insula und der Amygdala führt [2]. Die Amygdala und ventrale Insula sind funktional und strukturell eng miteinander gekoppelt und spielen hier eine entscheidende Rolle für das Peinlichkeitserleben und die Integration der Informationen der beteiligten Netzwerke.…”