The neural architecture of emotional intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is a nebulous concept that permeates daily interpersonal communication. Despite prolific research into its benefits, EI subjective measurement is difficult, contributing to an enigmatic definition of its core constructs. However, neuroimaging research probing socioaffective brain mechanisms underlying putative EI constructs can add an objective perspective to existing models, thereby illuminating the nature of EI. Therefore, the primary aim of this dissertation is to identify brain networks underlying EI and examine how EI arises from the brain’s functional and structural neuroarchitecture. EI is first defined according to behavioral data, which suggests EI is made up of two core constructs: Empathy and Emotion Regulation (ER). The interaction of brain networks underlying Empathy and ER is then investigated using a novel neuroimaging analysis method: dynamic functional connectivity (dynFC). The results suggest efficient communication and (re)configuration between the CEN, DMN, SN underlie both ER and RME task dynamics, and that these temporal patterns relate to trait empathy and ER tendency. Given the demonstrated behavioral and neurobiological relationship between empathy and ER, our second aim is to examine each of these constructs individually through detailed experiments using a variety of neuroimaging methodologies. The dissertation concludes by proposing EI is an ability that arises from the effective, yet flexible communication between brain networks underlying Empathy and ER. The dissertation is divided into five chapters. Chapter I describes the foundational concept of EI as originally described by a variety of psychological figures and the lacuna that exists in terms of its neural correlates. Chapter II presents behavioral data that proposes EI is best predicted by Empathy and ER. Chapter III explores the dynamic relationship between brain networks underlying Empathy and ER, with the aim of elucidating their neurobiological associations, and investigate how such associations may combine to create EI. Chapter IV examines Empathy closely, by probing its neurobiological relationship to interoception and anxiety. Chapter V examines ER closely, by investigating whether gender plays a role in ER, and its neurobiological relationship to hormones. Chapter VI links the general findings from Chapters III, IV and V, and proposes an integrative neurocognitive EI model. The dissertation concludes by providing clinical and non-clinical applications for the model

Essays on Macroeconomic Forecasting and the Business Cycle

This dissertation consists of two essays on forecasting real GDP growth and predicting recessions in the United States. In the first essay, we create a new indicator of economic activity based on a business cycle pattern, able to better forecast real output changes. The second essay utilizes the same indicator with the purpose of improving recession forecast. The accurate prediction of economic activity is valuable for the business community, policymakers, and the general public because better forecasts of GDP growth have the potential to improve economic conditions. In the first essay, we create a new indicator based on the correlation of residential and non-residential marginal product of capital (MPK) estimates and use it to improve forecasts of output growth. The correlation of residential and non-residential MPK is highly negative during recessions, while in expansions the same correlation is positive. For six out of seven expansions, the correlation of the two series becomes zero between one and three quarters before the subsequent recession. This cyclical behavior allows the use of a measure based on the correlation of the MPKs to create a better forecast of GDP growth. To this end, we compare the out-of-sample predictability of the model including the indicator against a benchmark model, and strongly reject the hypothesis of no out-of-sample predictability from the newly created indicator to GDP growth. We also provide evidence in favor of highly improved in-sample fit when the new indicator is included, and conclude that it Granger-causes GDP growth. The improvement in GDP growth forecasts is greater when an oil price measure is included in the models. The second paper employs a probit model for the US to describe the probability of an economic recession during the next five quarters, using the new indicator based on the correlation of residential and non-residential marginal product of capital. We find that in every one to three quarters prior to a recession, the correlation of the two series is not significantly different from zero, with the exception of the Great Recession. We show that models including the new measure improve both in-sample fit and out-of-sample performance when compared to nested baseline alternatives, giving accurate out-of-sample forecasts for the 1990-1991 recession. We also show that forecasts including the new indicator outperform those reported in the survey of professional forecasters, suggesting that other variables would not undo the contribution of the new indicator.Economics, Department o

Convergent Neural Correlates of Empathy and Anxiety During Socioemotional Processing

Empathy is characterized by the ability to understand and share an emotional experience with another person and is closely tied to compassion and concern for others. Consequently, this increased emotional awareness and sensitivity may also be related to increased anxiety. Taken from another perspective, higher general anxiety may translate into increased concern for others, or concern for how one’s actions might affect others, and therefore may be linked to increased empathy. Furthermore, self-reflection is positively related to perspective-taking and empathic concern, while rumination is closely tied to anxiety, thus providing an additional connecting point between empathy and anxiety through enhanced internally generated thought. While previous literature suggests a relationship between empathy and anxiety, this has yet to be empirically studied using neuroimaging tools aimed at investigating the underlying neural correlates that may support these convergent responses. We therefore conducted an functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study (N = 49) in which participants viewed fearful and neutral human faces and rated how the faces made them feel, to promote introspection. Participants also completed questionnaires assessing empathy Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ), trait anxiety State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), worry Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) and rumination Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS). Behaviorally, empathy positively correlated with worry, worry and rumination positively correlated with anxiety, and significant indirect relationships were found between empathy and anxiety through worry and rumination. Using the neuroimaging face processing task as a backdrop on which the neurobiological mechanisms of empathy and anxiety may interact, regressions of questionnaires with brain activations revealed that empathy related to activation in the temporoparietal junction (TPJ), anxiety related to bilateral insula activation, and worry related to medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) activation, while rumination showed increased engagement of all three aforementioned regions. Functional connectivity (FC) analyses showed increased communication between the left amygdala and insula related to higher empathy, worry and rumination. Finally, whole-brain analysis using median split groups from questionnaires revealed that the lower halves of anxiety, worry and rumination exhibited increased activation in top-down attentional networks. In sum, empathy, worry and rumination related to enhanced bottom-up processing, while worry, rumination and anxiety exhibited decreased top-down attentional control, suggesting an indirect relationship between empathy and anxiety through the ruminative tendencies of worry

ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE ROLE OF ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOR IN ROMANIAN ECONOMY

Abstrac

Could Religiosity and Religion Influence the Tax Morale of Individuals? An Empirical Analysis Based on Variable Selection Methods

When people who adhere to tax morality act in a situation where there is no sense of risk, no acceptance of the government, or no environment conducive to tax compliance, it is easier to see how they are motivated to do so. Tax morality is also known as the ethics of compliance. It is the independent cause that motivates a positive tax behaviour. Employees’ religious beliefs may impact their ideas and actions in organizational life, just as individuals’ attitudes, values, emotions, abilities, and behaviours influence their thoughts and actions at work. Religion can positively influence a worker’s loyalty, morale, and communication. In this context, the research seeks to determine whether religiosity and religion may have an effect on tax morale, examining whether an individual’s religiosity reduces tax evasion and increases the degree of tax morale. Using machine learning variable selection techniques appropriate for categorical variables, we have used the dataset of the Joint EVS/WVS 2017-2020 (European Value Survey/World Value Survey), allowing for comparisons of tax morality in more than 79 nations globally (chi-squared and mutual information). The empirical findings showed that the most important aspects of religiosity, such as religious denomination, belief in God, and the significance of God, along with the degree of trust placed in other religions and churches, have a considerable positive impact on the level of tax morale. Another significant conclusion relates to how much people feel the government is responsible, how much they care about their nation, and how satisfied they are with the political system—findings that have been shown to boost employee morale. The following are a person’s primary traits that indicate their financial morale: an adult above the age of 25, a full-time worker or retired person, married, and living alone. Therefore, employees that are morally upright, trustworthy, diligent, and committed to the workplace values of justice and decency raise morale generally and improve an organisation’s success. A business may enhance its reputation and help to secure its long-term success by establishing behavioural policies

H3 histone methylation landscape in male urogenital cancers: from molecular mechanisms to epigenetic biomarkers and therapeutic targets

During the last decades, male urogenital cancers (including prostate, renal, bladder and testicular cancers) have become one of the most frequently encountered malignancies affecting all ages. While their great variety has promoted the development of various diagnosis, treatment and monitoring strategies, some aspects such as the common involvement of epigenetic mechanisms are still not elucidated. Epigenetic processes have come into the spotlight in the past years as important players in the initiation and progression of tumors, leading to a plethora of studies highlighting their potential as biomarkers for diagnosis, staging, prognosis, and even as therapeutic targets. Thus, fostering research on the various epigenetic mechanisms and their roles in cancer remains a priority for the scientific community. This review focuses on one of the main epigenetic mechanisms, namely, the methylation of the histone H3 at various sites and its involvement in male urogenital cancers. This histone modification presents a great interest due to its modulatory effect on gene expression, leading either to activation (e.g., H3K4me3, H3K36me3) or repression (e.g., H3K27me3, H3K9me3). In the last few years, growing evidence has demonstrated the aberrant expression of enzymes that methylate/demethylate histone H3 in cancer and inflammatory diseases, that might contribute to the initiation and progression of such disorders. We highlight how these particular epigenetic modifications are emerging as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers or targets for the treatment of urogenital cancers