On Happiness: A Minimalist Perspective on a Complex Neural Circuitry and its Psychosocial Constructs

Chemali, Zeina; Chahine, Lama; Naassan, Georges

doi:10.1007/s10902-007-9085-y

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…We argue that, whereas the network described above greatly overlaps with those postulated in other models of happiness proposed to date (e.g., Chemali et al, 2008;Funahashi, 2011), the available empirical evidence does not permit us to identify distinctive brain areas associated with remembering happy events. As we emphasized, PFC, ACC, and insula were the most frequently reported areas to show activation across the reviewed studies.…”

Section: Conclusion Summary and Integration Of Findingsmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…All of these structures are connected, forming a Bpleasure network^in which greater activation correlates with greater pleasure reactions. Empirical evidence has also shown that the amygdala, a limbic structure mostly involved in the activation of negative emotions, codes for pleasure (Chemali, Chahine, & Naassan, 2008;Fernando, Murray, & Milton, 2013;Mahler & Berridge, 2012).…”

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confidence: 99%

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The neural correlates of happiness: A review of PET and fMRI studies using autobiographical recall methods

Suardi

Sotgiu

Costa

et al. 2016

Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci

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Although very difficult to define, happiness is becoming a core concept within contemporary psychology and affective neuroscience. In the last two decades, the increased use of neuroimaging techniques has facilitated empirical study of the neural correlates of happiness. This area of research utilizes procedures that induce positive emotion and mood, and autobiographical recall is one of the most widely used and effective approaches. In this article, we review eight positron emission tomography and seven functional magnetic resonance imaging studies that have investigated happiness by using autobiographical recall to induce emotion. Regardless of the neuroimaging technique used, the studies conducted so far have shown that remembering happy events is primarily associated with the activation of many areas, including anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, and insula. Importantly, these areas are also found to be connected with other basic emotions, such as sadness and anger. In the conclusion, we integrate these findings, discussing important limitations of the extant literature and suggesting new research directions.Keywords Happiness . Autobiographical recall . PET . fMRI . Mood induction methodsDefining happiness is a difficult task for natural and social scientists, including psychologists, economists, sociologists, geneticists, and neuroscientists. Indeed, happiness is a term often used to refer to and that is interchangeable with many other concepts, such as well-being, flourishing, optimal functioning, life satisfaction, quality of life, and health

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Section: Conclusion Summary and Integration Of Findingsmentioning

confidence: 61%

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confidence: 99%

The neural correlates of happiness: A review of PET and fMRI studies using autobiographical recall methods

Suardi

Sotgiu

Costa

et al. 2016

Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci

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“…Additional frontal areas were represented by activation in the left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the poster cingulate cortex (PCC). The cingulate cortex activity has been associated with happiness [45,82], although it seems likely that the cingulate cortex plays a key role in both positive and negative emotions [83]. In addition, the cingulate cortex is known to be involved in AMs [10,84,85] and the PCC has particularly strong reciprocal connections with medial temporal lobe memory structures such as the entorhinal and the parahippocampal cortices [86].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The interest in understanding the processing of positive emotions such as happiness and joy and their neural correlates has increased [42][43][44][45][46][47]. A meta-analysis of imaging studies on happiness was conducted to identify the neural correlates of three happiness domains: pleasure, engagement, and meaning [47].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Functional Neuroimaging of Autobiographical Memory for Happy Events: A Coordinate-Based Meta-Analysis

Testa,

Sotgiu,

Rusconi

et al. 2024

Healthcare

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Neuroimaging studies using autobiographical recall methods investigated the neural correlates of happy autobiographical memories (AMs). The scope of the present activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis was to quantitatively analyze neuroimaging studies of happy AMs conducted with autobiographical recall paradigms. A total of 17 studies (12 fMRI; 5 PET) on healthy individuals were included in this meta-analysis. During recall of happy life events, consistent activation foci were found in the frontal gyrus, the cingulate cortex, the basal ganglia, the parahippocampus/hippocampus, the hypothalamus, and the thalamus. The result of this quantitative coordinate-based ALE meta-analysis provides an objective view of brain responses associated with AM recollection of happy events, thus identifying brain areas consistently activated across studies. This extended brain network included frontal and limbic regions involved in remembering emotionally relevant positive events. The frontal gyrus and the cingulate cortex may be responsible for cognitive appraisal processes during recollection of happy AMs, while the subthalamic nucleus and globus pallidus may be involved in pleasure reactions associated with recollection of happy life events. These findings shed light on the neural network involved in recalling positive AMs in healthy individuals, opening further avenues for future research in clinical populations with mood disorders.

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“…Happiness is a multifaceted concept; thus, it is hard to fully understand the mechanisms by which it improves life expectancy. At the neural level, happiness and better sense of well-being are triggered by positive external stimuli, causing an increase of dopaminergic activity in the brain as well as higher hypothalamic activity, both ‘addictive’ bodily processes (5). A lack of these stimuli can lead to mental distress and depression, psychological conditions that can manifest physiologically if left undiagnosed and untreated (6).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Happier countries, longer lives: an ecological study on the relationship between subjective sense of well-being and life expectancy

Evans

Soliman

2017

Glob Health Promot

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The relationship between sense of well-being and longevity is not well-established across populations of varying levels of socioeconomic status. We sought to examine the relationship between happiness, or subjective sense of well-being and life expectancy using data from 151 countries. This analysis is based on the 2012 Happy Planet Index project conducted by the Center of Well-Being of the New Economics Foundation, based in the United Kingdom. Well-being data for each country were taken from responses to the 'Ladder of Life' question in the 2012 Gallup World Poll in which participants were asked to rate their quality of life on a scale from 1 (worst possible life) to 10 (best possible life). Life expectancy and gross domestic product data were taken from the 2011 United Nations records. Ecological footprint data were taken from Global Footprint Network records. Subjective sense of well-being was highly correlated with life expectancy (Pearson correlation r = 0.71, p < 0.0001). In a multivariable linear regression model adjusted for gross domestic product, ecological footprint, and population, each 1 unit of the well-being scale was associated with an increase in life expectancy of 4.0 years (95% confidence interval = 2.7-5.3). In conclusion, better sense of well-being has a strong relationship with life expectancy regardless of economic status or population size, suggesting that governments should foster happiness in order to support long-living populations.

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On Happiness: A Minimalist Perspective on a Complex Neural Circuitry and its Psychosocial Constructs

Abstract: Happiness, Emotion, Mirth, Humor, Laughter,

Cited by 8 publications

References 48 publications

The neural correlates of happiness: A review of PET and fMRI studies using autobiographical recall methods

The neural correlates of happiness: A review of PET and fMRI studies using autobiographical recall methods

The Functional Neuroimaging of Autobiographical Memory for Happy Events: A Coordinate-Based Meta-Analysis

Happier countries, longer lives: an ecological study on the relationship between subjective sense of well-being and life expectancy

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