Work

Neural Representations and Functional Connections Underlie Subjective Positive Affect

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Everyday experiences can evoke positive feelings that differ among individuals and guide their behavior. Although reward processing is often linked to positive feelings, the mechanisms underlying subjective positive affect and whether they are shared for varied positive experiences is unclear. Here, we used fMRI and predictive modeling to investigate how dynamic, personalized positive experiences are encoded in the brain in humans of both sexes. Neural representations and functional integration during experiences of monetary reward, social media, music, and positive autobiographical memories were used to predict participants' affect ratings of each experience. Across experiences, positive affect was encoded in multivariate neural patterns and functional coupling of distributed cortical and subcortical brain areas, including some value-linked brain regions, like the orbitofrontal cortex. Restricted sets of brain representations and functional connections linked to sensory processing were involved in encoding stimulus-specific positive affect. Our findings suggest that positive affect may be computed and communicated throughout the brain.

Source: Journal of Neuroscience

DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1927-25.2026

Authors: Tejas Savalia, Xiaoya Anny Huang, Sophia Martin, Sagarika Devarayapuram Ramakrishnan, Alexandra O. Cohen

Institution: Emory University

Language: English

Topic: Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: National Institute on Drug Abuse