Neural substrates of marriage on self-parents processing and the association with a parents-oriented perspective shift in a collectivistic culture

• Published in: Biological psychology Vol. 187; p. 108768
• Main Authors: Kim, Hesun Erin, Eom, Hyojung, Jo, Hye-Jeong, Kim, Min-Kyeong, Kim, Junhyung, Kim, Jae-Jin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01-03-2024
• Subjects: FMRI; Marital satisfaction; Marriage; Perspective shift; Self-parents processing; Perspective shift; Marital satisfaction; Marriage; FMRI; Self-parents processing
• ISSN: 0301-0511; 1873-6246
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2024.108768

Relationship with parents is a special bond that shapes self-other representations and have an impact on adult-child’s marriage, especially in the early stages of marriage. This study sought to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying self-parents processing as well as their relationship with marriage. Seventy-eight premarital Korean participants were scanned in functional MRI while evaluating traits of the self and parents. Then, 21 of them returned after being married to engage in the identical task three years later. The precuneus and temporoparietal junction were identified to activate stronger for parents than self at both marital statuses. The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, parietal operculum, and caudate activated more for self than parents before marriage, but their activities changed during marriage. The activation increase of the parietal operculum between marital statuses in the parents condition was negatively correlated with the level of marital dissatisfaction, and this association only appeared among participants with a child. Self-parents processing may recruit brain regions involved in autobiographical memory and self-other distinction, and marriage has an impact on the way individuals process rewards and multimodal sensory information during this processing. Marriage may lead to changes in brain function that affect the processing of emotions toward parents and a more parents-oriented perspective shift in collectivistic societies.
•Self-parents processing and its relationship with marriage were investigated using fMRI.•Scanning was performed just before marriage and again three years later.•The precuneus and temporoparietal junction were activated stronger for parents than self.•The caudate and parietal operculum activations for self were changed during marriage.•Marriage may lead to neural changes of a parents-oriented perspective shift.