SynthesisFrontiers in human neuroscience2025
Human neural correlates of emotional well-being (EWB): a preliminary systematic review and meta-analysis of MRI studies based on a recent consensus definition.
Synthesis in Frontiers in human neuroscience, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Human neural correlates of emotional well-being (EWB): a preliminary systematic review and meta-analysis of MRI studies based on a recent consensus definition.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2025Pooled it
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Introduction: Emotional well-being (EWB) is a multifaceted construct essential for human health, conceptualized as an umbrella term for related psychometric concepts such as psychological well-being (PWB), positive mental health, health-related quality of life, thriving, and subjective well-being (SWB). However, varying definitions have prompted calls for a consensus definition. Understanding the neural mechanisms of EWB is crucial for health and intervention efforts, yet findings remain inconsistent in both empirical studies and systematic reviews. The inconsistencies in prior systematic reviews may arise from diverse definitions, an emphasis on task-independent over task-dependent modalities, and biases introduced when statistical analyses are lacking. Methods: To address these gaps, this study presents the first preliminary systematic review and meta-analysis of the neural correlates of EWB using a consensus definition developed in 2023 by NIH EWB Research Network, which includes five domains: goal pursuit, life satisfaction, positive affect, quality of life, and sense of meaning. Importantly, we used a hypothesis-driven approach to separately examine task-dependent (task-based fMRI; Results: The left pallidum as a key region associated with task-dependent modality, likely reflecting incentive and rewards processing, while task-independent findings implicate the right superior temporal gyrus (STG) and insula, suggesting roles in social cognition and interoceptive awareness. Across both modalities, frontoparietal regions emerge as shared substrates likely contributing to cognitive control processes central to EWB. Conclusion: Despite limited sample sizes, this review provides a preliminary neural framework of EWB, highlighting distinct and shared contributions across modalities and lay an empirical foundation for future large-scale investigations. Systematic review registration: https://osf.io/ymtb8/overview.
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What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.