PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Darwin proposed that blushing-the reddening of the face owing to heightened self-awareness-is \'the most human of all expressions\'. Yet, relatively little is known about the underlying mechanisms of blushing. Theories diverge on whether it is a rapid, spontaneous emotional response that does not involve reflection upon the self or whether it results from higher-order socio-cognitive processes. Investigating the neural substrates of blushing can shed light on the mental processes underlying blushing and the mechanisms involved in self-awareness. To reveal neural activity associated with blushing, 16-20 year-old participants (n = 40) watched pre-recorded videos of themselves (versus other people as a control condition) singing karaoke in a magnetic resonance imaging scanner. We measured participants\' cheek temperature increase-an indicator of blushing-and their brain activity. The results showed that blushing is higher when watching oneself versus others sing. Those who blushed more while watching themselves sing had, on average, higher activation in the cerebellum (lobule V) and the left paracentral lobe and exhibited more time-locked processing of the videos in early visual cortices. These findings show that blushing is associated with the activation of brain areas involved in emotional arousal, suggesting that it may occur independently of higher-order socio-cognitive processes. Our results provide new avenues for future research on self-awareness in infants and non-human animals.
摘要：
达尔文提出，由于自我意识增强，脸红是“所有表情中最人性化的表情”。然而，对脸红的潜在机制知之甚少。理论分歧是否迅速，自发的情绪反应，不涉及对自我的反思，也不涉及它是否来自高阶社会认知过程。调查脸红的神经底物可以揭示脸红背后的心理过程和自我意识的机制。为了揭示与脸红相关的神经活动，16-20岁的参与者（n=40）在磁共振成像扫描仪中观看了预先录制的自己（与其他人作为对照条件）唱卡拉OK的视频。我们测量了参与者的脸颊温度升高-脸红的指标-以及他们的大脑活动。结果表明，当看着自己与别人唱歌时，脸红更高。那些看着自己唱歌时脸红得更多的人，平均而言,小脑（小叶V）和左中央旁叶的激活更高，并且在早期视觉皮层中对视频进行了更多的时间锁定处理。这些发现表明，脸红与参与情绪唤醒的大脑区域的激活有关，这表明它可能独立于高阶社会认知过程而发生。我们的研究结果为未来研究婴儿和非人类动物的自我意识提供了新的途径。
