Self-esteem mapped in the human brain

A team of UCL researchers has devised a mathematical equation that can explain how our self-esteem is shaped by what other people think of us, in a new study published in the scientific journal eLife . The researchers used the new equation to identify signals in the human brain that explain why self-esteem goes up and down when we learn other people's judgments of us. They say the findings could help identify people at risk of psychiatric disorders. "Low self-esteem is a vulnerability factor for numerous psychiatric problems including eating disorders, anxiety disorders and depression. In this study, we identified exactly what happens in the brain when self-esteem goes up and down," said the study's lead author, Dr Geert-Jan Will (Leiden University and Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry & Ageing Research). "We hope that these findings inform our understanding of how mental health problems develop, which may ultimately improve diagnostic tools and treatments," he said. For the study, 40 healthy participants did a social evaluation task while in an MRI scanner.