A neural link between generosity and happiness

Soyoung Q. Park; Thorsten Kahnt; Azade Dogan; Sabrina Strang; Ernst Fehr; Philippe N. Tobler

doi:10.1038/ncomms15964

Nature Communications (Jul 2017)

A neural link between generosity and happiness

Soyoung Q. Park,
Thorsten Kahnt,
Azade Dogan,
Sabrina Strang,
Ernst Fehr,
Philippe N. Tobler

Affiliations

Soyoung Q. Park: Department of Psychology I, University of Lübeck
Thorsten Kahnt: Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
Azade Dogan: Department of Economics, Laboratory for Social and Neural Systems Research, University of Zurich
Sabrina Strang: Department of Psychology I, University of Lübeck
Ernst Fehr: Department of Economics, Laboratory for Social and Neural Systems Research, University of Zurich
Philippe N. Tobler: Department of Economics, Laboratory for Social and Neural Systems Research, University of Zurich

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15964
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 8, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

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Generous behaviour increases happiness, but the neural underpinnings of this link are unknown. Here, authors show that promising to be generous changes the neural response in the temporo-parietal junction, and that the connection between this region and the ventral striatum was related to happiness.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

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