The neural correlates of the awe experience: Reduced default mode network activity during feelings of awe
Michiel van Elk, M. Andrea Arciniegas Gomez, Wietske van der Zwaag, Hein T. van Schie, Disa Sauter
Human Brain Mapping May 7, 2019 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24616 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | fMRI study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | neutral videos |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Insula Posterior cingulate Supramarginal gyrus Perspective graphical Superior frontal gyrus Feeling Angular gyrus Superior temporal gyrus Cognitive psychology Middle frontal gyrus Posterior parietal cortex Supplementary motor area Cortex anatomy Functional connectivity Cognition |
| Citations | 122 |
| Key points | Awe reduces engagement in self-referential processing, as indicated by decreased activation in default mode network regions and increased activation in fronto-parietal network regions during analytical tasks. |
Abstract
Abstract In the present fMRI study, we aimed to obtain insight into the key brain networks involved in the experience of awe—a complex emotion that is typically elicited by perceptually vast stimuli. Participants were presented with awe‐eliciting, positive and neutral videos, while they were instructed to get fully absorbed in the scenery or to count the number of perspective changes. By using a whole‐brain analysis we found that several brain regions that are considered part of the default mode network (DMN), including the frontal pole, the angular gyrus, and the posterior cingulate cortex, were more strongly activated in the absorption condition. But this was less the case when participants were watching awe videos. We suggest that while watching awe videos, participants were deeply immersed in the videos and that levels of self‐reflective thought were as much reduced during the awe videos, as during the perspective counting condition. In contrast, key regions of the fronto‐parietal network (FPN), including the supramarginal gyrus, the medial frontal gyrus, and the insula, were most strongly activated in the analytical condition when participants were watching awe compared to positive and neutral videos. This finding underlines the captivating, immersive, and attention‐grabbing nature of awe stimuli that is considered to be responsible for reductions in self‐reflective thought. Together these findings suggest that a key feature of the experience of awe is a reduced engagement in self‐referential processing, in line with the subjective self‐report measures (i.e., participants perceived their self to be smaller).
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functional connectivity of default mode network components: Correlation, anticorrelation, and causality Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study using resting-state fMRI and seed correlation analysis | |
| Patterns of Brain Activity Supporting Autobiographical Memory, Prospection, and Theory of Mind, and Their Relationship to the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2009 | Experimental study using fMRI | |
| Dynamic reconfiguration of the default mode network during narrative comprehension Human subjects | 2016 | Experimental study | |
| Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State Healthy human participants | 2013 | Experimental study | |
| The brain on art: intense aesthetic experience activates the default mode network Human observers | 2012 | Observational study with fMRI and behavioral analysis |
Citations in the library
Cited by 37
- Pharmacological, neural, and psychological mechanisms underlying psychedelics: a critical review Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews September 1, 2022
- Awe as a Pathway to Mental and Physical Health Perspectives on Psychological Science August 22, 2022
- Broadening Your Mind to Include Others: The relationship between serotonergic psychedelic experiences and maladaptive narcissism. Psychopharmacology September 1, 2020
- More than meets the eye: The role of sensory dimensions in psychedelic brain dynamics, experience, and therapeutics. Neuropharmacology February 1, 2023
- Effects of psilocybin microdosing on awe and aesthetic experiences: a preregistered field and lab-based study Psychopharmacology April 30, 2021
and 32 more in the library
Cites 12
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- The wandering brain: Meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies of mind-wandering and related spontaneous thought processes Neuroimage February 25, 2015
- The Varieties of Self-Transcendent Experience Review of General Psychology May 1, 2017
- Increased Global Functional Connectivity Correlates with LSD-Induced Ego Dissolution. Current Biology April 13, 2016
and 7 more in the library