The Neuroscience of Happiness

Many possible definitions and approaches exist for investigating happiness. Most would agree that happiness remained difficult to define and challenging to measure, particularly due to its subjective nature. Historically, researchers primarily measured the experience of happiness through subjective self-report, as more objective measures such as psychophysiology and neuroscience have for the most part remained elusive. Yet, recent developments in neuroimaging and meta-analyses have begun to suggest that a number of areas in the brain exist that are consistently and differentially implicated in the emotional experience of happiness. Yet, these recent findings are not without controversy. Much debate exists around whether happiness can be examined as a discrete emotion or a part of a dimensional continuum. Further, the recent neuroscientific findings themselves have been challenged. Below is an overview of the recent findings, debate, and partial resolution.

Brain Regions

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Nucleus Accumbens

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Orbito Frontal Cortex

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Right Superior Temporal Gyrus

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Left Anterior Cingulate Cortex

File:VACC.jpg

Sagittal view of a cluster in the ventral ACC

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