Abstract
Modesty when defined as a personality trait, is highly beneficial to interpersonal relationship, group performance, and mental health. However, the potential neural underpinnings of trait modesty remain poorly understood. In the current study, we used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to investigate the structural neural basis of trait modesty in Chinese college students. VBM results showed that higher trait modesty score was associated with lager regional gray matter volume in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, left superior temporal gyrus/left temporal pole, and right posterior insular cortex. These results suggest that individual differences in trait modesty are linked to brain regions associated with self-evaluation, self-regulation, and social cognition. The results remained robust after controlling the confounding factor of global self-esteem, suggesting unique structural correlates of trait modesty. These findings provide evidence for the structural neural basis of individual differences in trait modesty.
Highlights
Modesty when defined as a personality trait, is highly beneficial to interpersonal relationship, group performance, and mental health
Given that trait modesty has been suggested as a cognitive self-evaluation and self-regulatory process, we speculated that certain regions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), especially the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) may be associated with trait modesty
The results of our analysis revealed that trait modesty score was positively correlated with regional GMV (rGMV) in the left DMPFC, right DLPFC, left superior temporal gyrus (STG)/temporal pole (TP), and right posterior insular cortex (PIC), suggesting that neural pathways underlying self-evaluation, self-regulation, and social cognition are associated with trait modesty
Summary
Modesty when defined as a personality trait, is highly beneficial to interpersonal relationship, group performance, and mental health. VBM results showed that higher trait modesty score was associated with lager regional gray matter volume in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, left superior temporal gyrus/left temporal pole, and right posterior insular cortex These results suggest that individual differences in trait modesty are linked to brain regions associated with self-evaluation, self-regulation, and social cognition. When considering the cognitive component of trait modesty, trait modesty has been regarded as a form of psychological self-evaluation, with Sedikides et al.[14] defining it as “a moderate self-view [italics in original]” It involves the perception of one’s ability or achievement and is linked to self-reflection and cognitive evaluation process. These aspects reflect a social component of trait modesty, involving in the perception of other’s needs and feelings and the social situations These studies suggest that trait modesty is linked to psychological processes such as self-evaluation, self-regulation, and social cognition. Given that trait modesty has been suggested as a cognitive self-evaluation and self-regulatory process, we speculated that certain regions of the PFC, especially the DMPFC and the DLPFC may be associated with trait modesty
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