Neural patterns underlying social comparisons of personal performance

Michael Lindner; Sarah Rudorf; Robert Birg; Armin Falk; Bernd Weber; Klaus Fliessbach

doi:10.1093/scan/nsu087

Neural patterns underlying social comparisons of personal performance

Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2015 Apr;10(4):569-76. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsu087. Epub 2014 Jun 18.

Authors

Michael Lindner¹, Sarah Rudorf², Robert Birg³, Armin Falk³, Bernd Weber⁴, Klaus Fliessbach⁵

Affiliations

¹ Center for Economics and Neuroscience, University of Bonn, Nachtigallenweg 86, 53127 Bonn, Germany, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 7BE, United Kingdom, Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Life&Brain Center, Department of NeuroCognition, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany Center for Economics and Neuroscience, University of Bonn, Nachtigallenweg 86, 53127 Bonn, Germany, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 7BE, United Kingdom, Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Life&Brain Center, Department of NeuroCognition, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany [email protected].
² Center for Economics and Neuroscience, University of Bonn, Nachtigallenweg 86, 53127 Bonn, Germany, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 7BE, United Kingdom, Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Life&Brain Center, Department of NeuroCognition, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany [email protected].
³ Center for Economics and Neuroscience, University of Bonn, Nachtigallenweg 86, 53127 Bonn, Germany, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 7BE, United Kingdom, Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Life&Brain Center, Department of NeuroCognition, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany.
⁴ Center for Economics and Neuroscience, University of Bonn, Nachtigallenweg 86, 53127 Bonn, Germany, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 7BE, United Kingdom, Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Life&Brain Center, Department of NeuroCognition, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany Center for Economics and Neuroscience, University of Bonn, Nachtigallenweg 86, 53127 Bonn, Germany, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 7BE, United Kingdom, Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Life&Brain Center, Department of NeuroCognition, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany Center for Economics and Neuroscience, University of Bonn, Nachtigallenweg 86, 53127 Bonn, Germany, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 7BE, United Kingdom, Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Life&Brain Center, Department of NeuroCognition, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany.
⁵ Center for Economics and Neuroscience, University of Bonn, Nachtigallenweg 86, 53127 Bonn, Germany, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 7BE, United Kingdom, Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Life&Brain Center, Department of NeuroCognition, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany Center for Economics and Neuroscience, University of Bonn, Nachtigallenweg 86, 53127 Bonn, Germany, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 7BE, United Kingdom, Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Life&Brain Center, Department of NeuroCognition, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany Center for Economics and Neuroscience, University of Bonn, Nachtigallenweg 86, 53127 Bonn, Germany, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 7BE, United Kingdom, Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Life&Brain Center, Department of NeuroCognition, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany [email protected].

Abstract

Humans often evaluate their abilities by comparing their personal performance with that of others. For this process, it is critical whether the comparison turns out in one's favor or against it. Here, we investigate how social comparisons of performance are encoded and integrated on the neural level. We collected functional magnetic resonance images while subjects answered questions in a knowledge quiz that was related to their profession. After each question, subjects received a feedback about their personal performance, followed by a feedback about the performance of a reference group who had been quizzed beforehand. Based on the subjects' personal performance, we divided trials in downward and upward comparisons. We found that upward comparisons correlated with activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the anterior insula. Downward comparisons were associated with increased activation in the ventral striatum (VS), the medial orbitofrontal cortex and the ventral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). The extent to which subjects outperformed the reference group modulated the activity in the VS and in the dorsal ACC. We suggest that the co-activation of the VS and the dorsal ACC contributes to the integration of downward comparisons into the evaluation of personal performance.

Keywords: downward comparison; fMRI; performance; self-evaluation; social comparison.

MeSH terms

Adult
Brain Mapping
Cerebral Cortex / physiology
Feedback, Psychological
Female
Gyrus Cinguli / physiology
Humans
Knowledge
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Prefrontal Cortex / physiology
Psychomotor Performance / physiology*
Reaction Time / physiology
Social Perception*
Students, Medical / psychology
Ventral Striatum
Young Adult