Trait Respect Is Linked to Reduced Gray Matter Volume in the Anterior Temporal Lobe.

Respect is a positive other-oriented social emotion upon the recognition of excellence in others. We previously reported that respect-related brain activity in the left anterior temporal lobe (ATL). Since brain activity and structure are often involved in common cognitive functions, we investigated the morphological properties of the left ATL using voxel-based morphometry analysis. We found an association of trait respect with reduced gray matter volume (GMV) in part of the left ATL. Moreover, since the ATL is involved in general conceptual knowledge, we investigated the relationships between other social emotions with similar properties as respect and the GMV of the left ATL. We observed an association of reduced GMV with empathic concern, which is an other-oriented and affective aspect of trait empathy. Our findings indicated an association of the left ATL with other-oriented and affective aspect of social emotions.

Respect and admiration differentially activate the anterior temporal lobe.

Admiration and respect are positive social emotions often experienced when recognizing excellent behavior in another person. Although both strongly rely on appraisal of behavior, admiration focuses on the admirable behavior of a person, while respect focuses on the person as a whole. The evaluation and interpretation of the social behavior of another person are dependent on semantic memory. Social semantic knowledge is represented in the anterior temporal lobe (ATL), and ATL activity is modulated by conceptual details of semantic knowledge. As respect requires evaluation of not only excellent behavior but also of the person as a whole, we hypothesized that the ATL is differentially activated by admiration and respect. To test our hypothesis, we conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments. We presented participants with vignettes describing admirable behavior of fictitious characters and asked them to imagine and report how they would normally feel when encountering the situation described in the vignettes, i.e., admiration or respect and its intensity. A part of the left ATL was more strongly modulated by the intensity of respect than of admiration. Although admiration and respect are often considered to be closely related, our results indicate that the neural substrates underlying these emotions are different.

[Action tendencies of respect-related emotions: Focus on emotion episodes in Japanese university students].

This study examined the action tendencies of respect-related emotions in Japanese university students. Participants (n = 405) randomly received a questionnaire about one of six respect-related emotions: (a) keiai (respect mingled with mild love); (b) shinsui (idolatry worship, and adoration); (c) ifu (awe mingled with fear); (d) kanshin (admiration); (e) kyotan (wonder); and (f) sonkei (respect proper) and were asked to recall a situation they felt the emotion. Next, they rated how much they felt like doing the respect-related (intrapersonal or interpersonal) actions in the situation. Statistical analysis revealed several action tendencies of respect-related emotions, however, the degree of each differed between the prototypical episodes of the emotions (a)-(e). The action tendency pattern of sonkei was most similar to that of keiai, therefore keiai could be considered as the prototypical feeling of sonkei in university students. Furthermore, almost all the respect-related emotions tended to strongly motivate willingness for self-correction and improvement. These findings suggest that respect-related emotions play an important role in self-improvement and building good relationships with superiors, at least in late adolescence.

[The hierarchical semantic structure of respect-related emotions in modern Japanese people].

This study examined the reproducibility of the hierarchical semantic structure of respect-related emotions and the prototypical meaning of sonkei (respect) in modern Japanese people. Participants, ages 20-79, rated the semantic similarity of 153 pairs of 18 respect-related words used in previously published work. Hierarchical cluster analysis (n = 515) showed almost the same semantic organization as the previous study. The highest level of abstraction consisted of "person-focus respect, emotional attitude" and "action-focus respect, emotional state." The basic-level consisted of (a) respect mingled with mild love; (b) ought-respect (respect as moral duty); (c) idolatry (worship and adoration); (d) awe mingled with fear; (e) admiration; and (f) wonder. The word sonkei was included in category (a). Additional analyses were conducted according to age. The results revealed that the basic categories seen in adults ages 60-79 differed from those in the whole sample and that sonkei was included in the category which could be considered as, ought-respect. These findings suggest that the semantic organization of respect-related emotions is gradually changing under the influence of modern culture.

[Development of the Trait Respect-Related Emotions Scale for late adolescence].

This study developed a scale to measure the respect-related emotional traits (the Trait Respect-Related Emotions Scale) for late adolescence and examined the reliability and validity. In study 1,368 university students completed the items of the Trait Respect-Related Emotions Scale and other scales of theoretically important personality constructs including adult attachment style, the "Big Five," self-esteem, and two types of narcissistic personality. Factor analysis indicated that there are three factors of trait respect-related emotions: (a) trait (prototypical) respect; (b) trait idolatry (worship and adoration); and (c) trait awe. The three traits associated differentially with the daily experience (frequency) of the five basic respect-related emotions (prototypical respect, idolatry, awe, admiration, and wonder), and other constructs. In Study 2, a test-retest correlation of the new scale with 60 university students indicated good reliability. Both studies generally supported the reliability and validity of the new scale. These findings suggest that, at Ieast in late adolescence, there are large individual differences in respect-related emotion experiences and the trait of respect should be considered as multi-dimensional structure.

[The concept structure of respect-related emotions in Japanese university students].

This study examined the semantic organization of "sonkei" (a feeling of respect) and respect-related emotion words such as "awe" and "admiration" in Japanese university students. Native Japanese university students rated the semantic similarity of 153 pairs of 18 respect-related words having been collected from synonym dictionaries. Hierarchical cluster analysis of similarity ratings revealed two main distinctions at the highest level of abstraction: "person-focus respect, emotional attitude" (sustained respect for a particular person considered to be superior) and "action-focus respect, emotional state" (temporal respect for a praiseworthy action). The former included three basic categories: (a) respect mingled with mild love; (b) idolatry (worship and adoration); and (c) respect mingled with fear (awe). The latter included two basic categories: (d) admiration and (e) respect mingled with surprise (wonder). The word "sonkei" was included in category (a). Also, multidimensional scaling revealed three dimensions of respect-related words: focus, valence, and self-oblivion. These findings suggest that for Japanese university students, respect is typically a kind of emotional attitude, but they sometimes experience respect as an emotional state ("state respect").