When anger enhances memory: Neural mechanisms of social rejection

This study investigated the neurocognitive processes through which perceived social rejection influences associative memory performance via anger across adulthood. Behavioral assessments in 274 adults (aged 18–89) and neuroimaging data (structural and resting-state fMRI) from a subsample (N = 189) supported a sequential pathway in which anger mediates the effect of perceived rejection and enhanced associative memory. Structural analyses revealed that gray matter volumes of the left inferior parietal gyrus (angular gyrus), precuneus, and superior temporal regions were associated with sensitivity to social evaluation and perceived rejection, consistent with an antecedent role of structural features in shaping emotional responses. Functional connectivity analyses demonstrated that coupling between emotion-related regions (e.g., amygdala, precuneus) and memory-related regions (e.g., parahippocampal cortex, cingulate cortex) mediates the link between anger and memory, indicating that the cognitive benefit arises through anger-driven neural reorganization. Together, these findings provide mechanistic evidence that negative social experiences can facilitate adaptive cognitive engagement when appraised through anger, highlighting a multilevel pathway from social perception to emotional response and neural network dynamics that support associative memory.