Personality and Neural Correlates of Mentalizing Ability

Abstract

Theory of mind, or mentalizing, defined as the ability to reason about another’s mental states, is a crucial psychological function that is disrupted in some forms of psychopathology, but little is known about how individual differences in this ability relate to personality or brain function. One previous study linked mentalizing ability to individual differences in the personality trait Agreeableness. Agreeableness encompasses two major subdimensions: Compassion reflects tendencies toward empathy, prosocial behavior, and interpersonal concern, whereas Politeness captures tendencies to suppress aggressive and exploitative impulses. We hypothesized that Compassion but not Politeness would be associated with better mentalizing ability. This hypothesis was confirmed in Study 1 (N = 329) using a theory of mind task that required reasoning about the beliefs of fictional characters. Post hoc analyses indicated that the honesty facet of Agreeableness was negatively associated with mentalizing. In Study 2 (N = 217), we examined whether individual differences in mentalizing and related traits were associated with patterns of resting-state functional connectivity in the brain. Performance on the theory of mind task was significantly associated with patterns of connectivity between the dorsal medial and core subsystems of the default network, consistent with evidence implicating these regions in mentalization.

The goal priority network as a neural substrate of Conscientiousness

“… 2 In a previously published study using this sample, some facets of Agreeableness were found to be associated with interconnectivity in the DN (Allen, Rueter, Abram, Brown, & DeYoung, 2017). Given the number of tests that would be required, with attendant low statistical power, we did not conduct additional exploratory analysis using the other Big Five traits in the current study. …”

Default Mode Network Connectivity Predicts Emotion Recognition and Social Integration After Traumatic Brain Injury

“…Furthermore, the DMN is particularly relevant to social cognition as the regions comprising the DMN are also engaged during social and emotional processes (23, 24). It has been argued that DMN RSFC may represent a neuromarker of individual differences in social abilities, predicting mentalizing ability in neurotypicals (25), predicting autistic traits in neurotypicals and people with autism (26), and predicting social network size in macaques (23) and humans (27). While DMN RSFC is an important and flexible tool for investigating social cognition and behavior, it is currently unclear how it relates specifically to the component process of emotion recognition ability.…”

Disinhibition and Detachment in Adolescence: A Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective on the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders

“…Of course, other circuits and traits that we did not cover here undoubtedly play a role in how adolescents navigate developmental challenges. For instance, another AMPD trait, Antagonism, has been linked to components of the default mode network implicated in mentalizing abilities [82] and may contribute to a devaluing of stable relationships during adolescence, in favor of short-term rewards (e.g., being more willing to manipulate or exploit a partner for immediate gain). In contrast, high scores on the AMPD’s Negative Affect, coupled with risk-taking, could promote coping strategies meant to gain immediate relief from distress (e.g., self-harm, suicide attempts).…”