-
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Apr 2021Neuroimaging studies have shown that, despite the abstractness of music, it may mimic biologically rewarding stimuli (e.g., food) in its ability to engage the brain's... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Neuroimaging studies have shown that, despite the abstractness of music, it may mimic biologically rewarding stimuli (e.g., food) in its ability to engage the brain's reward circuitry. However, due to the lack of research comparing music and other types of reward, it is unclear to what extent the recruitment of reward-related structures overlaps among domains. To achieve this goal, we performed a coordinate-based meta-analysis of 38 neuroimaging studies (703 subjects) comparing the brain responses specifically to music and food-induced pleasure. Both engaged a common set of brain regions, including the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, ventral striatum, and insula. Yet, comparative analyses indicated a partial dissociation in the engagement of the reward circuitry as a function of the type of reward, as well as additional reward type-specific activations in brain regions related to perception, sensory processing, and learning. These results support the idea that hedonic reactions rely on the engagement of a common reward network, yet through specific routes of access depending on the modality and nature of the reward.
Topics: Brain; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Music; Neuroimaging; Pleasure; Reward
PubMed: 33440196
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.12.008 -
NeuroImage May 2020Listening to pleasant music engages a complex distributed network including pivotal areas for auditory, reward, emotional and memory processing. On the other hand,...
Listening to pleasant music engages a complex distributed network including pivotal areas for auditory, reward, emotional and memory processing. On the other hand, frontal theta rhythms appear to be relevant in the process of giving value to music. However, it is not clear to which extent this oscillatory mechanism underlies the brain interactions that characterize music-evoked pleasantness and its related processes. The goal of the present experiment was to study brain synchronization in this oscillatory band as a function of music-evoked pleasantness. EEG was recorded from 25 healthy subjects while they were listening to music and rating the experienced degree of induced pleasantness. By using a multilevel Bayesian approach we found that phase synchronization in the theta band between right temporal and frontal signals increased with the degree of pleasure experienced by participants. These results show that slow fronto-temporal loops play a key role in music-evoked pleasantness.
Topics: Auditory Perception; Brain; Cortical Synchronization; Female; Humans; Male; Music; Pleasure; Reward; Theta Rhythm; Young Adult
PubMed: 32087373
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116665 -
Schizophrenia Research Oct 2023Social anhedonia is considered a key feature of schizophrenia that leads to impaired social functioning. Although traditional laboratory measures assess non-current... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Social anhedonia is considered a key feature of schizophrenia that leads to impaired social functioning. Although traditional laboratory measures assess non-current social pleasure, researchers have begun using experience sampling methods (ESM) to measure current, or consummatory, experiences of social pleasure in daily life. A recent meta-analysis examined deficits in consummatory social pleasure in schizophrenia and found vast heterogeneity in effect sizes across ESM studies. Thus, this meta-analysis aimed to extend those results by testing moderators of this effect. Meta-analysis of 14 ESM studies suggests those with psychotic disorders exhibit a moderate deficit in consummatory social pleasure compared to healthy controls. Yet, this effect was significantly moderated by the type of measure used to assess social pleasure. Measures that directly assessed positive emotional experience during socialization yielded small effects that failed to reach significance; indirect measures of other social factors related to pleasure yielded large, significant effects. This suggests daily social anhedonia observed in psychotic disorders is not due to reduced experience of positive emotion. Instead, social anhedonia may be driven by other elements of social functioning. Most clinical variables did not influence effects, but there was a trend such that patient groups with lower cognitive functioning exhibited greater pleasure deficits. Inconsistent reporting across studies limited our ability to examine other real-world variables that may contribute to deficits in social pleasure. Yet, results show different ESM items used to measure social pleasure do not assess the same construct. Future research is needed to validate ESM measures and standardize protocols across studies.
Topics: Humans; Schizophrenia; Pleasure; Anhedonia; Ecological Momentary Assessment; Schizophrenic Psychology
PubMed: 37625224
DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.08.009 -
Archives of Sexual Behavior Aug 2021Compared to studies on sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy prevention, sexual pleasure has received limited attention in the adolescent sexual development...
Compared to studies on sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy prevention, sexual pleasure has received limited attention in the adolescent sexual development literature. In the present study, we used data from 157 adolescents (66 females; 14 to 17 years old), with a partnered sexual experience in the past 12 months to explore adolescents' sexual pleasure. First, we examined adolescents' perceptions of pleasure during their most recent partnered sexual experience. We then used information about those sexual experiences to identify correlates of sexual pleasure. Adolescents' reports of sexual pleasure were mixed. Although 17.8% reported their sexual experience was extremely pleasurable and 36.5% reported it was quite pleasurable, 26.6% indicated moderate pleasure, 13.1% a little pleasure, and 3.3% reported no pleasure. Sexual pleasure was primarily associated with aspects of sexual experiences that reflected socioemotional intimacy and desire. Specifically, cuddling with partners, emotional intimacy, and wantedness were all associated with greater sexual pleasure. Additionally, adolescents found sex more pleasurable when it occurred with a friend, but less pleasurable when it involved genital rubbing. Most sexual behaviors, having experienced orgasm, and the situational context of sexual experiences were not associated with sexual pleasure. Thus, specific sexual behaviors and orgasm may have less impact on sexual pleasure than feelings of emotional intimacy and desire. The diversity of perceived sexual pleasure and its associations with intimacy and desire suggest that, during adolescence, partnered sexual experiences are not primarily motivated by anticipated physical pleasure.
Topics: Adolescent; Female; Humans; Orgasm; Pleasure; Pregnancy; Probability; Sexual Behavior; Sexual Partners
PubMed: 34373980
DOI: 10.1007/s10508-021-02026-4 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Jan 2024Expectation is crucial for our enjoyment of music, yet the underlying generative mechanisms remain unclear. While sensory models derive predictions based on local...
Expectation is crucial for our enjoyment of music, yet the underlying generative mechanisms remain unclear. While sensory models derive predictions based on local acoustic information in the auditory signal, cognitive models assume abstract knowledge of music structure acquired over the long term. To evaluate these two contrasting mechanisms, we compared simulations from four computational models of musical expectancy against subjective expectancy and pleasantness ratings of over 1000 chords sampled from 739 US Billboard pop songs. Bayesian model comparison revealed that listeners' expectancy and pleasantness ratings were predicted by the independent, non-overlapping, contributions of cognitive and sensory expectations. Furthermore, cognitive expectations explained over twice the variance in listeners' perceived surprise compared to sensory expectations, suggesting a larger relative importance of long-term representations of music structure over short-term sensory-acoustic information in musical expectancy. Our results thus emphasize the distinct, albeit complementary, roles of cognitive and sensory expectations in shaping musical pleasure, and suggest that this expectancy-driven mechanism depends on musical information represented at different levels of abstraction along the neural hierarchy. This article is part of the theme issue 'Art, aesthetics and predictive processing: theoretical and empirical perspectives'.
Topics: Pleasure; Auditory Perception; Music; Motivation; Bayes Theorem; Cognition; Acoustic Stimulation
PubMed: 38104601
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0420 -
Clinics in Dermatology 2020Many physicians tend to regard their upcoming retirement with great trepidation. They are worried that after years of productive activity they will become useless and...
Many physicians tend to regard their upcoming retirement with great trepidation. They are worried that after years of productive activity they will become useless and lose all their connections with medicine. This essay will try to impress on readers that this way of thinking is absolutely incorrect, and it will provide some personal insights regarding the retirement process. These will address why I retired (due to governmental interference), how I felt before I retired (pretty lousy), and how I felt after closing my practice (really liberated). I've also included some thoughts on how to minimize aggravation when shuttering a practice, as well as suggestions on how to remain active in medicine. Some reflections on staying fulfilled during postretirement are presented, ranging from making an effort to teach colleagues and young physicians (the most important project), lots of omnivorous reading (the second most important pastime), continuing medical writing, trying to travel, taking up cooking (truly marvelous!), and generally attempting to fully enjoy the leisure time afforded upon leaving practice. The bottom line is that retirement is not to be dreaded or feared but rather anticipated and enjoyed. For me, it has turned out to be simply delightful and wonderful.
Topics: Cooking; Humans; Physicians; Pleasure; Retirement; Sports; Travel; Writing
PubMed: 33280800
DOI: 10.1016/j.clindermatol.2020.05.010 -
Journal of Psychiatric Research Feb 2020Recent conceptual frameworks propose anhedonia reflects abnormalities in the temporal dynamics of positive emotion in schizophrenia, characterized by intact consummatory... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
Recent conceptual frameworks propose anhedonia reflects abnormalities in the temporal dynamics of positive emotion in schizophrenia, characterized by intact consummatory and impaired anticipatory pleasure. A comprehensive meta-analysis can directly test this theory using self-report data.
METHOD
A meta-analysis was performed on studies reporting Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale (TEPS) data from healthy controls and schizophrenia or schizotypy groups. The TEPS was examined as it contains subscales to measure both consummatory and anticipatory pleasure separately. Statistical heterogeneity and study bias were examined. Meta-regressions evaluated moderators.
RESULTS
53 studies were retrieved (7,797 participants). Results revealed small effect sizes for comparisons of combined schizophrenia/schizotypy and control groups for both consummatory and anticipatory pleasure. Within-group comparisons of pleasure conditions were nonsignificant. The percentage of male schizophrenia/schizotypy participants significantly moderated anticipatory and consummatory pleasure for the combined sample and schizotypy alone; male participants were found to report reduced pleasure. There was only minor evidence of bias; sensitivity analysis confirmed result robustness. Exploratory outlier removal for schizophrenia within-group pleasure comparisons revealed a statistically significant difference between reported anticipatory and consummatory pleasure, with consummatory pleasure reduced relative to anticipatory (i.e., in the opposite direction of the majority of experimental research findings).
CONCLUSIONS
These findings provided only modest support for the temporal dynamics of positive emotion conceptualization because they revealed no evidence for: 1) specific anticipatory pleasure deficits in schizophrenia-spectrum participants compared to controls; 2) significant reductions in anticipatory pleasure relative to consummatory pleasure in schizophrenia-spectrum participants.
Topics: Anhedonia; Anticipation, Psychological; Humans; Pleasure; Schizophrenia; Schizotypal Personality Disorder
PubMed: 31783235
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.11.007 -
Journal of Marital and Family Therapy Apr 2023This manuscript presents a conceptual model-the Sexual Health and Integrative Pleasure (SHIP) Model-for the clinical assessment and intervention of sexual health...
This manuscript presents a conceptual model-the Sexual Health and Integrative Pleasure (SHIP) Model-for the clinical assessment and intervention of sexual health concerns. The model was developed by a group of couple/marital family therapy and psychologists who specialize in the treatment of sexual problems. The model consists of five philosophical foundations (systems framework, intersectionality, biopsychosocial model, lifespan approach, and empiricism) and five core therapeutic components (sexual literacy, sexual adaptation and resilience, relational intimacy, pleasure-oriented positive sexuality, and multidisciplinary care). We define each foundation and component, and compare and contrast the SHIP model with other existing sexual health models. Finally, we demonstrate how the SHIP model was used to provide individual and couple therapy with a cis/heterosexual couple in a university-based sexual health clinic and make recommendations for additional clinical applications of the model.
Topics: Humans; Pleasure; Sexual Health; Sexual Behavior; Sexual Partners; Heterosexuality
PubMed: 36490320
DOI: 10.1111/jmft.12624 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Jan 2020The unmyelinated C-tactile afferents system holds a hedonic function in touch experiences, shaping social functioning in the so-called affective touch hypothesis.... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
The unmyelinated C-tactile afferents system holds a hedonic function in touch experiences, shaping social functioning in the so-called affective touch hypothesis. Despite the fact that females are recognized as more sensitive to discriminative aspects of touch and respond more positively to touch than men, sex differences in the perception of affective touch have not been extensively investigated. We aimed to fill this gap by meta-analyzing existing studies on this topic. Thirteen studies were eligible and pooled effect sizes (Hedges' g) were compared. Random effect models were used. Results, which are not influenced by publication bias, show that there is a sex asymmetry in the pleasantness perceived during an affective tactile stimulation, with females showing higher pleasantness ratings than males. The size of the association does not vary as a function of sex distribution, age and methodological quality. Hormonal as well as evolutionary differences related to the caregiving and nurturing function of females may explain sex differences in affective touch. Results are limited by the small number of studies included in the meta-analysis.
Topics: Affect; Female; Humans; Male; Pleasure; Sex Characteristics; Touch Perception
PubMed: 31614152
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.09.037 -
Journal of Experimental Psychology.... Mar 2020Participants conflate consent and wantedness when judging situations as rape (Peterson & Muehlenhard, 2007). Pleasure might also affect how such situations might be...
Participants conflate consent and wantedness when judging situations as rape (Peterson & Muehlenhard, 2007). Pleasure might also affect how such situations might be appraised by victims, perpetrators, and jurors. In four experiments, participants read vignettes describing sexual encounters that were consensual or not, wanted or unwanted, and pleasurable or not pleasurable. Participants judged whether they thought each situation described rape and how distressing they thought the encounter would be. Wantedness affected perceived distress when consent was given. Wantedness and pleasure also influenced whether participants considered the situation rape in nonconsensual scenarios. In additional experiments, we analyzed the results by gender, manipulated perspective (being the subject or initiator of the encounter), levels of aggression, and compared the results to a group of participants who had viewed an antiabuse campaign. Male participants and those higher in benevolent sexism were more likely than women to utilize pleasure and wantedness in judging whether situations described rape. Perspective and viewing the media campaign did not significantly affect judgments of rape. Our results have implications for models of the consequences of consent, wantedness, and pleasure of sex, and important implications for educational programs aimed at reducing sexual assault and training for those involved in criminal justice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Topics: Adult; Crime Victims; Female; Humans; Informed Consent; Judgment; Male; Pleasure; Rape; Sexual Behavior; Stress, Psychological; Young Adult
PubMed: 31033317
DOI: 10.1037/xap0000221