Despite accruing evidence showing that positive emotions facilitate stress recovery, the neural basis for this effect remains unclear. To identify the underlying mechanism, we compared stress recovery for people reflecting on a stressor while in a positive emotional context with that for people in a neutral context. While blood–oxygen-level dependent data were being collected, participants (N = 43) performed a stressful anagram task, which was followed by a recovery period during which they reflected on the stressor while watching a positive or neutral video. Participants also reported positive and negative emotions throughout the task as well as retrospective thoughts about the task. Although there was no effect of experimental context on emotional recovery, we found that ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) activation during the stressor predicted more positive emotions during recovery, which in turn predicted less negative emotions during recovery. In addition, the relationship between vmPFC activation and positive emotions during recovery was mediated by decentering—the meta-cognitive detachment of oneself from one’s feelings. In sum, successful recovery from a stressor seems to be due to activation of positive emotion-related regions during the stressor itself as well as to their downstream effects on certain cognitive forms of emotion regulation.

HighlightsInteraction of negative affect and hippocampal food-image response predicts BMI gain.Interaction of negative affect, vermis and precuneus food response predicts BMI gain.Interaction of stress and middle occipital gyrus milkshake response predicts BMI gain.Weight gain associated with restrained eating and eating-disorder related behavior.

Background With the prevalence of infertility increasing every year around the world, it has seriously impacted the individual quality of family and social life. Anxiety is one of the most prevalent anxiety disorders among infertile patients. After the two-child policy, whether it affected the prevalence of anxiety is controversial. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anxiety and its potential risk factors among Chinese infertile women after the enforcement of ‘two-child policy’. Methods This cross-sectional study included 693 infertile patients in a reproductive medical center in Chongqing, China, between February 2016 and December 2018. Data was collected by Self-filling questionnaires including basic demographic information and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). SPSS statistical software (IBM SPSS version 25) was used to analyse the obtained data. Descriptive analysis was used to describe basic information and anxiety scores, the chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used to analyse the relationship between anxiety and other variables. Results The prevalence of anxiety among total infertile patients was 21.8%, and its 23.5% among first-child infertile patients (FI), and 18.4% among second-child infertile patients (SI) respectively (P > 0.05). Binary logistic regression showed that patients with lower education levels were more likely to have anxiety (P < 0.01). Patients with middle salary incomes were more likely to have anxiety (OR = 1.860, 95% CI: 1.068–3.238). Oral contraception taking history (OR = 1.778, 95% CI: 1.186–2.667), and history of allergy (OR = 2.098, 95% CI: 1.219–3.612) were associated with anxiety. Conclusions Under the full liberalization of the “two-child policy”, the total prevalence of anxiety among Chinese infertile female is comparatively high. Low education levels, middle incomes, oral contraception taking and allergy history can be the related risk factors of anxiety. We promote that all infertile patients should be evaluated for the prevalence of anxiety, especially those with potential risks, and receive consultant or targeted treatment when needed.

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