Self-Affirmation Activates the Ventral Striatum

@article{Dutcher2016SelfAffirmationAT,
  title={Self-Affirmation Activates the Ventral Striatum},
  author={Janine M. Dutcher and J. David Creswell and Laura E Pacilio and Peter R. Harris and William M. P. Klein and John M. Levine and Julienne E. Bower and Keely A. Muscatell and Naomi I. Eisenberger},
  journal={Psychological Science},
  year={2016},
  volume={27},
  pages={455 - 466}
}
Self-affirmation (reflecting on important personal values) has been shown to have a range of positive effects; however, the neural basis of self-affirmation is not known. Building on studies showing that thinking about self-preferences activates neural reward pathways, we hypothesized that self-affirmation would activate brain reward circuitry during functional MRI (fMRI) studies. In Study 1, with college students, making judgments about important personal values during self-affirmation… 
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