Domain-Specific Neural Correlates of Self-evaluation: Links to Sense of Acceptance and Rejection

Sociometer theory posits that self-evaluation is influenced by social relationship status as reflected by self-esteem. However, the neural basis of sociometer theory has not been completely delineated, possibly due to the complexity of the relationships among facets of social relationship status (i.e., acceptance and rejection), and self-evaluation domains. In this study, participants evaluated how well trait adjectives described themselves or a celebrity while brain activity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We also measured their sense of acceptance, sense of rejection, and self-esteem. The results showed that sense of acceptance was positively associated with activation in the right temporoparietal junction and bilateral precuneus during self-evaluation of positive morality, possibly reflecting mentalizing, and was negatively related to activation in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex during self-evaluation of negative competence, possibly reflecting emotion regulation. Sense of rejection was positively associated with activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus during self-evaluation of negative competence, possibly reflecting inner speech. However, self-esteem was not correlated with any brain areas. These results indicate that sense of acceptance and rejection have distinct dynamics in self-evaluation processing, suggesting the existence of multiple domain-specific sociometers.