Understanding the self: a cultural neuroscience approach

Shihui Han, Georg Northoff

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

57 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The self has been addressed extensively by philosophers and psychologists from different cultures. Recent cognitive neuroscience studies have uncovered neural substrates underlying the processing of different aspects of the self. As social psychologists have shown evidence for differences in self-construal styles between Western and East Asian cultures, recent transcultural neuroimaging research sought to find potential neural mechanisms mediating cultural specific self-related processing. The findings of transcultural neuroimaging research help to understand the culture-dependent nature of the self and its underlying neural substrates. This also sheds light on how to conceptualize the self in psychological and philosophical terms.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)203-212
Number of pages10
JournalProgress in Brain Research
Volume178
Issue numberC
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2009

Keywords

  • culture
  • medial prefrontal cortex
  • neuroimaging
  • self

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Neuroscience(all)

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