Resting state default mode network is associated with wise advising
Chao S. Hu, Yanbin Zheng, Guang-Heng Dong, Harley Glassman, Chenli Huang, Ran Xuan
Scientific Reports August 30, 2023 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41408-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 52 |
| Population | Adults |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key findings | Resting-state DMN activity was associated with metacognitive humility only when participants gave advice from a second-person perspective, and the right rostral ACC showed a significantly greater association with metacognitive humility in the second- than third-person perspective. |
Abstract
Default mode network (DMN) may be associated with wisdom (i.e., mature understanding of life featured by perspectival metacognition) when advising from a self-referential perspective due to the involvement of the DMN in reflecting on personal life experiences. After a resting-state functional MRI scan, 52 adults advised some youths going through life dilemmas, half from a second-person perspective and half from a third. After advising each youth, participants indicated the psychological distance they felt between themselves and the youth. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) was measured in the DMN during resting states. Moreover, trained raters rated the participants' advice on wisdom criteria (i.e., metacognitive humility (MH), meta-level flexibility, and perspective-taking). The results showed that participants felt a significantly smaller psychological distance from the youth when advising from the second- than the third-person perspective. Moreover, only when advising from the second-person perspective was MH associated with ALFF in regions within the DMN (i.e., right rostral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and left dorsomedial prefrontal cortex). The right rostral ACC showed a significantly greater association with MH from the second- than the third-person perspective. Therefore, resting-state DMN activities may be important for self-involved wisdom performance (e.g., giving advice directly to others).