TY - JOUR
T1 - The Neural Signatures of Shame, Embarrassment, and Guilt
T2 - A Voxel-Based Meta-Analysis on Functional Neuroimaging Studies
AU - Piretti, Luca
AU - Pappaianni, Edoardo
AU - Garbin, Claudia
AU - Rumiati, Raffaella Ida
AU - Job, Remo
AU - Grecucci, Alessandro
PY - 2023/3/26
Y1 - 2023/3/26
N2 - Self-conscious emotions, such as shame and guilt, play a fundamental role in regulating moral behaviour and in promoting the welfare of society. Despite their relevance, the neural bases of these emotions are uncertain. In the present meta-analysis, we performed a systematic literature review in order to single out functional neuroimaging studies on healthy individuals specifically investigating the neural substrates of shame, embarrassment, and guilt. Seventeen studies investigating the neural correlates of shame/embarrassment and seventeen studies investigating guilt brain representation met our inclusion criteria. The analyses revealed that both guilt and shame/embarrassment were associated with the activation of the left anterior insula, involved in emotional awareness processing and arousal. Guilt-specific areas were located within the left temporo-parietal junction, which is thought to be involved in social cognitive processes. Moreover, specific activations for shame/embarrassment involved areas related to social pain (dorsal anterior cingulate and thalamus) and behavioural inhibition (premotor cortex) networks. This pattern of results might reflect the distinct action tendencies associated with the two emotions.
AB - Self-conscious emotions, such as shame and guilt, play a fundamental role in regulating moral behaviour and in promoting the welfare of society. Despite their relevance, the neural bases of these emotions are uncertain. In the present meta-analysis, we performed a systematic literature review in order to single out functional neuroimaging studies on healthy individuals specifically investigating the neural substrates of shame, embarrassment, and guilt. Seventeen studies investigating the neural correlates of shame/embarrassment and seventeen studies investigating guilt brain representation met our inclusion criteria. The analyses revealed that both guilt and shame/embarrassment were associated with the activation of the left anterior insula, involved in emotional awareness processing and arousal. Guilt-specific areas were located within the left temporo-parietal junction, which is thought to be involved in social cognitive processes. Moreover, specific activations for shame/embarrassment involved areas related to social pain (dorsal anterior cingulate and thalamus) and behavioural inhibition (premotor cortex) networks. This pattern of results might reflect the distinct action tendencies associated with the two emotions.
KW - anterior insula
KW - embarrassment
KW - guilt
KW - moral emotions
KW - self-conscious emotions
KW - shame
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85156186182&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/brainsci13040559
DO - 10.3390/brainsci13040559
M3 - Review
C2 - 37190524
SN - 2076-3425
VL - 13
JO - Brain Sciences
JF - Brain Sciences
IS - 4
M1 - 559
ER -