Neural Electrical Correlates of Subjective Happiness.
Wataru Sato, Takanori Kochiyama, Shota Uono
Human Brain Mapping June 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.70224 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Participants whose subjective happiness was evaluated using questionnaires |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Subjective happiness scale Gamma‐band oscillation Precuneus Resting‐state magnetoencephalography meg Happiness research Brain imaging Mental health measurement |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Gamma-band fALFF values in the right precuneus were negatively associated with subjective happiness scores (partial correlation coefficient = -0.56). |
Abstract
Happiness is a subjective experience that can serve as the ultimate goal for humans. A recent study that employed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) reported that spontaneous fluctuation (fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation: fALFF) in the precuneus is negatively associated with subjective happiness. However, little is known about the neural electrical correlates of subjective happiness, which can provide direct evidence of neural activity and insights regarding the underlying psychological, cellular, and neurotransmitter mechanisms. Therefore, we measured 400-channel whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) during resting state in participants whose subjective happiness was evaluated using questionnaires. We conducted source reconstruction analysis utilizing bandpass-filtered MEG data and analyzed the fALFF of the band-limited power time series as an index of spontaneous neural fluctuation. Gamma-band fALFF values in the right precuneus were negatively associated with subjective happiness scores (partial correlation coefficient = -0.56). These findings indicate that subjective happiness has a neural electrical correlate of reduced spontaneous fluctuation of gamma-band neuronal oscillations in the right precuneus, and that it could be mediated by a reduction in wandering, clinging self-consciousness through heightened N-methyl-d-aspartate-dependent gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic parvalbumin inhibitory interneuron activity.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The phenomenology of near-death experiences Subjects who reported near-death experiences | 1980 | Retrospective study | n = 78 |
| Visual Phenomenology of the LSD Flashback Persons with a history of LSD use | 1983 | Observational cohort | n = 123 |
| The neurophenomenology of neutral hypnosis. Individuals of high, medium, and low hypnotizability | 2013 | Observational cohort | n = 37 |
| The Phenomenology of Acute Organic Psychosis Patients with acute organic psychosis and acute schizophrenics | 1987 | Observational cohort | n = 148 |
| EEG oscillatory states as neuro-phenomenology of consciousness as revealed from patients in vegetative and minimally conscious states. Brain-damaged patients with disorders of consciousness and healthy-conscious subjects | 2012 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- Experience sampling during fMRI reveals default network and executive system contributions to mind wandering. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences May 26, 2009
- The wandering brain: Meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies of mind-wandering and related spontaneous thought processes Neuroimage February 25, 2015
- Lanicemine: a low-trapping NMDA channel blocker produces sustained antidepressant efficacy with minimal psychotomimetic adverse effects Molecular Psychiatry October 15, 2013
- Mind-Wandering in Adolescents Predicts Worse Affect and Is Linked to Aberrant Default Mode Network-Salience Network Connectivity Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry June 12, 2020
- Alterations in Brain Structure and Amplitude of Low-frequency after 8 weeks of Mindfulness Meditation Training in Meditation-Naïve Subjects Scientific Reports July 29, 2019
and 3 more in the library