Haakon G. Engen: On the endogenous generation of emotion. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 2017 (MPI Series in Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences; 183) On the Endogenous Generation of Emotion Impressum Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 2017 Diese Arbeit ist unter folgender Creative Commons-Lizenz lizenziert: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0 Druck: Sächsisches Druck- und Verlagshaus Direct World, Dresden Titelbild: © Edvard Munch: Friedrich Nietzsche, 1906, Detail ISBN 978-3-941504-69-1 On the Endogenous Generation of Emotion von der Fakultät für Biowissenschaften, Pharmazie und Psychologie der Universität Leipzig eingereichte D I S S E R T A T I O N zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades doctor rerum naturalium Dr. rer. nat vorgelegt von Cand. Psychol. Haakon G. Engen Geboren am 4. August 1982 in Lørenskog, Norwegen Leipzig, den 01.07.2016 Acknowledgements Whatever merit this thesis might have, it is largely due to: Professor Tania Singer, for her patience and support, and for giving me the opportunity and independence to develop myself as a researcher in my time as a graduate student. Dr. Philipp Kanske, for his valuable feedback and steady voice of sanity in the development of paradigms, analyses, and manuscripts. Dr. Jonny Smallwood, for inspiring me to think deeply about what makes self-generated mental contents special. And, last, but absolutely not least, Sandra Zurborg, whose contributions to this thesis, to my sanity, and well-being are beyond words. i Contents Preface ....................................................................................................................................... 1 PART I: THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL FOUNDATION ................... 7 Chapter 1: Emotion as action: Philosophical background ................................................... 8 1.1. Chapter overview ............................................................................................................. 8 1.2. The adversary of rationality: Emotions in the history of philosophy .............................. 8 1.3. Emotions as ways of interacting with the world ............................................................ 10 1.3.1. Cartesian emotion regulation ................................................................................... 11 1.3.2. No exits, no excuses: Sartre on our responsibility for emotion ............................... 12 1.3.3. Robert Solomon on emotion as action ..................................................................... 13 1.3.4. Summary: Endogenous emotion as a means of self-regulation ............................... 14 1.4. Harnessing fire: Endogenous emotion generation as a means of emotional self- regulation .............................................................................................................................. 15 Chapter 2: Endogenous generation of emotion ................................................................... 17 2.1. Chapter overview ........................................................................................................... 17 2.2. Conceptualising endogenous emotion generation ......................................................... 17 2.2.1. Operationalisation and definitions ........................................................................... 18 2.2.2. Differentiating endogenous emotion generation from related phenomena ............. 19 2.2.2.1. Exogenous emotion generation ......................................................................... 19 2.2.2.2. Emotion regulation ............................................................................................ 20 2.2.2.3: Mood generation ............................................................................................... 21 2.2.2.4: Constructive memory ........................................................................................ 22 2.3. Characterising EnGE as a psychological phenomenon ................................................. 23 2.3.1. Individual differences in EnGE abilities ................................................................. 26 2.3.2. Training EnGE ......................................................................................................... 27 2.3.3. Summary: Conceptualising EnGE ........................................................................... 28 2.4. The neural architecture of EnGE ................................................................................... 29 2.4.1. State characteristics determine neural implementation of EnGE ............................ 33 2.4.2. Temporal dynamics of EnGE networks ................................................................... 34 2.4.3. The role of amygdala in EnGE ................................................................................ 36 2.5. Towards a working model of EnGE .............................................................................. 38 2.5.1. Psychological component processes of EnGE ......................................................... 38 2.5.2. The role of the Default Mode Network in internally generated cognition .............. 42 2.5.3. The Salience Network as a unique signature of EnGE ............................................ 44 2.5.4. The Frontoparietal Control Network and goal-directed control of memory ........... 45 2.5.5. A neural component process architecture of EnGE ................................................. 46 2.6. EnGE as a means of emotion management .................................................................... 47 2.6.1. The process model of emotion regulation ............................................................... 48 2.6.2. Positive EnGE as a reactive emotion management strategy .................................... 50 2.6.3. Emotion simulation as pre-emptive emotion management ..................................... 53 2.6.4. Two routes of EnGE-based emotion management .................................................. 55 2.7. Hypotheses and questions .............................................................................................. 55 2.7.1. Hypothesis 1: A neural component process architecture of EnGE ......................... 56 2.7.2. Hypothesis 2: Neural plasticity of EnGE-architecture ............................................ 56 2.7.3: Hypothesis 3: Neural mechanisms of EnGE-based regulation ................................ 57 iii 2.7.4: Hypothesis 4: EnGE influences trait emotion and emotion management ............... 57 2.8: Overview of dissertation ................................................................................................ 58 PART II: EXPERIMENTS .............................................................................. 61 Chapter 3: Methods ............................................................................................................... 63 3.1. Chapter overview ........................................................................................................... 63 3.2. Overview of the empirical body of work ....................................................................... 63 3.3. Samples .......................................................................................................................... 65 3.3.1. The ReSource Project .............................................................................................. 65 3.3.2: Long-term meditation practitioner study ................................................................. 65 3.4. Experimental methods ................................................................................................... 66 3.4.1. Regulation and Generation of Emotion: The RAGE paradigm ............................... 67 3.4.2. “State-fMRI” of loving-kindness meditation .......................................................... 72 3.4.3. EnGE as a means to counter with exogenous stressors ........................................... 73 3.5. Methods and analyses .................................................................................................... 75 3.5.1. Assessing the neural architecture of EnGE ............................................................. 75 3.5.1.1. Activation-based fMRI ...................................................................................... 76 3.5.1.2. Network-based fMRI ......................................................................................... 79 3.5.1.3. Cortical thickness .............................................................................................. 80 3.5.2. Psychophysiological measurement of embodied emotion....................................... 80 3.5.3. Assessing the role of EnGE in trait affect and emotion management ..................... 81 3.5. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 83 Chapter 4: The neural component-process architecture of endogenously generated emotion .................................................................................................................................... 85 4.1. Abstract .......................................................................................................................... 85 4.2. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 86 4.3. Methods .........................................................................................................................