Distinct Nodal Centrality and Connectivity Profiles Underlying Independent and Interdependent Self-Construal: A Graph-Theoretical Resting-State fMRI Study

Background/Objectives: Self-construal—the extent to which the self is construed as autonomous from or connected with others—shapes cognition and social behavior, yet its system-level neural architecture remains poorly understood. This study examined whether independent and interdependent self-construal are associated with distinct patterns of nodal centrality and connectivity in the resting brain and whether these patterns covary with in-group favoritism. Methods: Graph-theoretical analyses were applied to resting-state fMRI data from 67 college students. Degree centrality (DC) was the primary analysis; seed-based static functional connectivity (sFC) and dynamic functional connectivity variability (FCV) from DC-derived seeds served as exploratory follow-ups. In-group favoritism was assessed with a minimal-group point-allocation task. Results: Independent self-construal was positively associated with DC in the left inferior occipital gyrus and right lingual gyrus; exploratory sFC linked these occipital seeds to frontal, temporal, and parietal regions, with greater exploratory FCV in their coupling with frontoparietal control areas. Interdependent self-construal was positively associated with DC in the medial prefrontal cortex and thalamus, with exploratory sFC to occipital, temporal, and insular regions but no significant FCV effects. The self-construal difference score yielded convergent DC results and was negatively associated with in-group favoritism; occipital–postcentral coupling was positively associated with in-group favoritism in an exploratory correlation. Conclusions: Independent and interdependent self-construal are associated with distinct nodal centrality profiles, linking independence to occipital perceptual hubs and interdependence to medial prefrontal–thalamic hubs. Exploratory connectivity analyses extend these findings to the coupling of these hubs with distributed brain regions and to in-group favoritism.