Brain responses to peer feedback in social media are modulated by valence and personality dimensions in late adolescence

Previous studies have examined the neural correlates of receiving negative feedback from peers during virtual social interaction in young people. However, there is a lack of studies using platforms adolescents use in daily life. In the present study, 92 participants ages 17 to 20 performed a task that involved receiving positive and negative feedback from peers in a Facebook-like platform, while brain activity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We also studied the effects of real-life habits of social media use on neural sensitivity to negative feedback. Peer feedback was shown to activate clusters in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), superior temporal gyrus and sulcus (STG/STS), and occipital cortex (OC). Negative feedback was related to greater activity in the VLPFC, MPFC, and anterior insula than positive feedback, replicating previous findings on peer feedback and social rejection. Habits of social media use did not correlate with brain responses to negative feedback.