Amygdala Activity Linked to Daily Mood and Well-being

Research finds that our daily mood may be influenced by how the amygdala responds after viewing negative and subsequent neutral stimuli. The amygdala studies the environment for potential threats and stays active and responds in case a threat does appear. While this is helpful during a dangerous situation, an amygdala response when coffee gets spilled in the morning can keep us on edge for the rest of the day.

The research team analyzed data from a longitudinal study in which participants had completed a psychological well-being assessment. They also had to complete eight daily telephone interviews for mood assessment and an fMRI task in the lab. For the task, they were shown negative, positive, and neutral images along with a neutral facial expression picture between every image.

Findings revealed that similar amygdala activation patterns when the participants viewed negative images and the subsequent neutral faces predicted increases in daily negative mood and decreases in daily positive mood. In contrast, participants who experienced an increase in positive mood showed greater psychological well-being.

The findings suggest that amygdala activity plays a role in how a person feels everyday, which in turn can impact overall psychological well-being.



Source-Medindia