Neural correlates of wellbeing scales: Preliminary data

To the Editor

In the field of positive psychology, wellbeing is divided into eudaimonic wellbeing (EWB) and subjective wellbeing (SWB). EWB is connected to the personal fulfilment of one’s potential and consists of parameters that include positive relationships with others and self-acceptance. SWB is connected to the experience of satisfaction and has a cognitive component (satisfaction with life) and an affective component (positive emotions). There are validated scales for measuring the two types of wellbeing, and in recent years, neuroimaging studies have been used to assess their neural correlates (Lewis et al., 2014; Sato et al., 2015).

EWB has shown a positive association with the grey matter volume of the right insular cortex. The study used voxel-based morphometry techniques to analyse structural magnetic resonance images from 70 young, healthy subjects who had also completed Ryff’s 42-item measure of EWB (Lewis et al., 2014).

The anterior insula is important to interoceptive awareness, which consists of detecting and interpreting certain internal bodily states. In contrast, the posterior insula processes information related to somatic and auditory sensation and control of somatic musculature. Most studies have reported a negative association between the insula volume and the presence of depression (Clark et al., 2010). Taken together, previous results and those of the present study point to the possibility that the insula promotes EWB by generating a set of capacities that act jointly to integrate interoceptive states and external circumstances and successfully manage this emotional milieu (Lewis et al., 2014).

SWB has been shown to be positively associated with grey-matter volume in the right precuneus in a study of 51 volunteers without psychiatric disorders that used the subjective happiness scale, the emotional intensity scale and the purpose in life test (Sato et al., 2015).

The precuneus is involved in consciousness, body movements in space, self-awareness and retrieval of episodic memories and visuospatial imagery (Clark et al., 2010). The precuneus region has the highest cortical glucose metabolism in brain, which highlights its importance to subjective consciousness in humans. The precuneus may play an important role in integrating various types of information and converting them into SWB (Sato et al., 2015).

These data are preliminary. However, the first conclusion we can draw is that EWB and SWB seem to be different constructs associated with specific brain regions and that the scales measuring them appear to be valid. Further studies in this field deserve encouragement and may be valuable for understanding healthy brain functioning.