Photo: flickr
A network of brain regions involved in self-disclosure on Facebook has been determined by a team of researchers from Freie Universitaet Berlin. In the first study to examine the intrinsic functional connectivity of the brain in relation to social media use, researchers observed connectivity between regions of the brain previously established to play a role in self-cognition, in 35 participants.
All subjects completed a Self-Related Sharing Scale to determine how frequently each subject posted pictures of themselves, updated their profile information, and updated their status. The participants were selected to vary widely in their Self-Related Sharing Scale scores. Researchers recorded functional neuroimaging (fMRI) data while subjects were allowed to let their mind wander; subjects did not perform an explicit task. Researchers then analyzed the connectivity of each participant's brain to determine a relationship between brain connectivity and Self-Related Sharing Scale score across participants.
Results showed that participants who share more about themselves on Facebook had greater connectivity of both the medial prefrontal cortex and precuneus, to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. There was also greater connectivity between the precuneus and the lateral orbitofrontal cortex.
Category(s):Other
Source material from Freie Universitaet Berlin
