Seeing our own face in a mirror or selfie culture triggers feelings of pleasure, say scientists.
Japanese researchers found that seeing our own faces – even subconsciously – can activate reward pathways in the brain.
They have uncovered a new understanding of how our brain enables us to distinguish our own face from those of others, even when the information is presented subliminally.
The research team from Osaka University have shown that a central element of the dopamine reward pathway in the brain was activated when study participants were subliminally shown images of their face.
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They say their findings, published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, provide new clues regarding the underlying processes of the brain involved in self-facial recognition.
Study lead author Dr Chisa Ota said:
Dr. Ota explained that when we are exposed to a subliminal image of our face – meaning we are not fully aware of it – many brain regions are activated as well as those that process face information.
She said our brain responds differently to ‘supraliminal’ – conscious – and ‘subliminal’ – subconscious – images of our face compared to faces of others.
However, whether we use the same or different neural networks to process subliminal versus supraliminal faces had not previously been established, something the Osaka University researchers aimed to address.
They used MRI scanning to examine the differences between brain activity elicited by subliminally presented images of the faces of participants and faces of others. They also examined brain activation produced by subliminally presented images of faces with modified features.
Study senior author Professor Tamami Nakano said:
Instead, she said subliminal presentation of the faces of others induced activation in the amygdala of the brain, which is known to respond to unfamiliar information.
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Prof Nakano said:
She added: