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Introduction: Exploring gender differences in cognitive abilities offers vital insights into human brain functioning., Methods: Our study utilized advanced techniques like magnetic resonance thermometry, standard working memory n-back tasks, and functional MRI to investigate if gender-based variations in brain temperature correlate with distinct neuronal responses and working memory capabilities., Results: We observed a significant decrease in average brain temperature in males during working memory tasks, a phenomenon not seen in females. Although changes in female brain temperature were significantly lower than in males, we found an inverse relationship between the absolute temperature change (ATC) and cognitive performance, alongside a correlation with blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal change induced by neural activity. This suggests that in females, ATC is a crucial determinant for the link between cognitive performance and BOLD responses, a linkage not evident in males. However, we also observed additional female specific BOLD responses aligned with comparable task performance to that of males., Discussion: Our results suggest that females compensate for their brain's heightened temperature sensitivity by activating additional neuronal networks to support working memory. This study not only underscores the complexity of gender differences in cognitive processing but also opens new avenues for understanding how temperature fluctuations influence brain functionality., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Rogala, Dreszer, Sińczuk, Miciuk, Piątkowska-Janko, Bogorodzki, Wolak, Wróbel and Konarzewski.)

The COVID-19 pandemic, which involves the threat of contracting a potentially fatal disease, can be understood as a source of terror. According to terror management theory, people shield themselves from terror by adopting culturally specific worldviews and protecting self-esteem. The study investigates the protective role of worldviews that are culturally specific to Poles: religiosity and social solidarity. The hypothesis was that Poles who tend to worry, entertain these worldviews and are more likely to maintain high self-esteem and concentrate on the current moment (carpe diem), which theoretically allows them to reduce future-related anxiety. Path analysis confirmed that self-esteem, the centrality of religiosity, and expectation of solidarity due to the COVID-19 pandemic mediate the relationship between the worry trait and carpe diem., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Gut, Miciuk, Gorbaniuk, Gut and Karczmarczyk.)