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Scandola M, Beccherle M, Togni R, Caffini G, Ferrari F, Aglioti SM, Moro V. Topographic mapping of the sensorimotor qualities of empathic reactivity: A psychophysiological study in people with spinal cord injuries. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14547. [PMID: 38372443 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
The experience of empathy for pain is underpinned by sensorimotor and affective dimensions which, although interconnected, are at least in part behaviorally and neurally distinct. Spinal cord injuries (SCI) induce a massive, below-lesion level, sensorimotor body-brain disconnection. This condition may make it possible to test whether sensorimotor deprivation alters specific dimensions of empathic reactivity to observed pain. To explore this issue, we asked SCI people with paraplegia and healthy controls to observe videos of painful or neutral stimuli administered to a hand (intact) or a foot (deafferented). The stimuli were displayed by means of a virtual reality set-up and seen from a first person (1PP) or third person (3PP) visual perspective. A number of measures were recorded ranging from explicit behaviors like explicit verbal reports on the videos, to implicit measures of muscular activity (like EMG from the corrugator and zygomatic muscles that may represent a proxy of sensorimotor empathy) and of autonomic reactivity (like the electrodermal response and Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia that may represent a general proxy of affective empathy). While no across group differences in explicit verbal reports about the pain stimuli were found, SCI people exhibited reduced facial muscle reactivity to the stimuli applied to the foot (but not the hand) seen from the 1PP. Tellingly, the corrugator activity correlated with SCI participants' neuropathic pain. There were no across group differences in autonomic reactivity suggesting that SCI lesions may affect sensorimotor dimensions connected to empathy for pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Scandola
- NPSY.Lab-VR, Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Maddalena Beccherle
- NPSY.Lab-VR, Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- CLN2S@Sapienza, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Giulia Caffini
- NPSY.Lab-VR, Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | | | - Salvatore Maria Aglioti
- CLN2S@Sapienza, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Fondazione Santa Lucia, IRCCS Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Valentina Moro
- NPSY.Lab-VR, Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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2
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Salles BM, Fadel JV, Mograbi DC. Moderate similarity leads to empathic concern, but high similarity can also induce personal distress towards others' pain. Psych J 2024; 13:322-334. [PMID: 38105597 PMCID: PMC10990819 DOI: 10.1002/pchj.720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Empathic concern and personal distress are common vicarious emotional responses that arise when witnessing someone else's pain. However, the influence of perceived similarity on these responses remains unclear. In this study, we examined how perceived similarity with an injured target impacts vicarious emotional responses. A total of 87 participants watched a video of an athlete in pain preceded by a clip describing the athlete's trajectory, which indicated either high, moderate, or low similarity to the participants. Emotional self-reports, facial expressions, gaze behavior, and pupil diameter were measured as indicators of the participants' emotional responses. Participants in the moderate- and high-similarity groups exhibited greater empathic concern, as evidenced by their display of more sadness compared with those in the low-similarity group. Furthermore, those in the moderate-similarity group exhibited less avoidance by displaying reduced disgust, indicating lower personal distress compared with those in the low-similarity condition. Nevertheless, the high-similarity group displayed just as much disgust as the low-similarity group. These findings suggest that perceived similarity enhances empathic concern to others' suffering, but that high similarity can also lead to personal distress. Future studies on empathy should explore distinct vicarious states using multimodal measurements to further advance our understanding of these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno M. Salles
- Department of PsychologyPontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC‐Rio)Rio de JaneiroBrazil
| | - João V. Fadel
- Department of PsychologyPontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC‐Rio)Rio de JaneiroBrazil
| | - Daniel C. Mograbi
- Department of PsychologyPontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC‐Rio)Rio de JaneiroBrazil
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
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3
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Lee S, Yoo Y, Moon H, Lee IS, Chae Y. Enhanced Empathic Pain by Facial Feedback. Brain Sci 2023; 14:5. [PMID: 38275510 PMCID: PMC10813713 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14010005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The facial feedback hypothesis states that feedback from cutaneous and muscular afferents affects our emotion. Based on the facial feedback hypothesis, the purpose of this study was to determine whether enhancing negative emotion by activating a facial muscle (corrugator supercilii) increases the intensity of cognitive and emotional components of empathic pain. We also assessed whether the muscle contraction changed the pupil size, which would indicate a higher level of arousal. Forty-eight individuals completed 40 muscular contraction and relaxation trials while looking at images of five male and five female patients with neutral and painful facial expressions, respectively. Participants were asked to rate (1) how much pain the patient was in, and (2) how unpleasant their own feelings were. We also examined their facial muscle activities and changes in pupil size. No significant differences in pain or unpleasantness ratings were detected for the neutral face between the two conditions; however, the pain and unpleasantness ratings for the painful face were considerably higher in the contraction than relaxation condition. The pupils were considerably larger in the contraction than relaxation condition for both the painful and neutral faces. Our findings indicate that, by strengthening the corrugator supercilii, facial feedback can affect both the cognitive evaluative and affective sharing aspects of empathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seoyoung Lee
- Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedaero, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea; (S.L.); (Y.Y.); (H.M.); (I.-S.L.)
- Department of Behavioral Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Yeonjoo Yoo
- Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedaero, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea; (S.L.); (Y.Y.); (H.M.); (I.-S.L.)
| | - Heeyoung Moon
- Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedaero, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea; (S.L.); (Y.Y.); (H.M.); (I.-S.L.)
| | - In-Seon Lee
- Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedaero, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea; (S.L.); (Y.Y.); (H.M.); (I.-S.L.)
| | - Younbyoung Chae
- Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedaero, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea; (S.L.); (Y.Y.); (H.M.); (I.-S.L.)
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4
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Alkhouli M, Al-Nerabieah Z, Dashash M. Analyzing facial action units in children to differentiate genuine and fake pain during inferior alveolar nerve block: a cross-sectional study. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15564. [PMID: 37730922 PMCID: PMC10511437 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42982-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the association between facial action units and pain levels in Syrian children, focusing on both genuine and fake pain expressions. A total of 300 Syrian children aged 6-9 years participated in the study. Pain levels were assessed using the validated Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability scale, and facial expressions were analyzed using the Facial Action Coding System. The children were asked to mimic their feelings after receiving a dental injection to elicit fake pain expressions. Statistical analysis, including multinomial logistic regression and chi-square tests, was conducted to determine the Action Units (AUs) associated with each pain level and to compare the differences between real and fake pain expressions. The results revealed significant associations between specific AUs and pain levels. For real pain expressions, the most activated AUs across different pain levels with positive coefficient values of correlation (P-value < 0.01) were analyzed. In contrast, for fake pain expressions, AU12 and AU38 were consistently observed to be the most activated. These findings suggest that certain AUs are uniquely associated with fake pain expressions, distinct from those observed in real pain expressions. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between boys and girls in terms of their genuine and fake pain expressions, indicating a similar pattern of AU activation (P-value > 0.05). It was concluded that AUs 4, 6, 41, and 46 were associated with mild pain, and AUs 4, 6, 41, 46, and 11 were associated with moderate pain cases. In severe pain, AUs 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, and 43 were associated. In fake pain feelings, AU43, AU38, and AU12 were the most activated with no difference between boys and girls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muaaz Alkhouli
- Faculty of Dentistry, Damascus University, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic.
| | | | - Mayssoon Dashash
- Faculty of Dentistry, Damascus University, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic
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5
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Vartanov AV, Izbasarova SA, Neroznikova YM, Artamonov IM, Artamonova YN, Vartanova II. The effect of psychological mirroring in telecommunicative dialogue. COGN SYST RES 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogsys.2023.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/21/2023]
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6
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Mitschke V, Eder AB. Facing the enemy: Spontaneous facial reactions towards suffering opponents. Psychophysiology 2021; 58:e13835. [PMID: 33934377 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The suffering of an opponent is an important social affective cue that modulates how aggressive interactions progress. To investigate the affective consequences of opponent suffering on a revenge seeking individual, two experiments (total N = 82) recorded facial muscle activity while participants observed the reaction of a provoking opponent to a (retaliatory) sound punishment in a laboratory aggression task. Opponents reacted via prerecorded videos either with facial displays of pain, sadness, or neutrality. Results indicate that participants enjoyed seeing the provocateur suffer: indexed by a coordinated muscle response featuring an increase in zygomaticus major (and orbicularis oculi muscle) activation accompanied by a decrease in corrugator supercilii activation. This positive facial reaction was only shown while a provoking opponent expressed pain. Expressions of sadness, and administration of sound blasts to nonprovoking opponents, did not modulate facial activity. Overall, the results suggest that revenge-seeking individuals enjoy observing the offender suffer, which could represent schadenfreude or satisfaction of having succeeded in the retaliation goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Mitschke
- Department of Psychology, Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Andreas B Eder
- Department of Psychology, Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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7
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Ly LH, Weary DM. Facial expression in humans as a measure of empathy towards farm animals in pain. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0247808. [PMID: 33647043 PMCID: PMC7920373 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
People often express concern for the welfare of farm animals, but research on this topic has relied upon self-report. Facial expressions provide a quantifiable measure of emotional response that may be less susceptible to social desirability bias and other issues associated with self-report. Viewing other humans in pain elicits facial expressions indicative of empathy. Here we provide the first evidence that this measure can also be used to assess human empathetic responses towards farm animals, showing that facial expressions respond reliably when participants view videos of farm animals undergoing painful procedures. Participants (n = 30) were asked to watch publicly sourced video clips of cows and pigs undergoing common management procedures (e.g. disbudding, castration, tail docking) and control videos (e.g. being lightly restrained, standing). Participants provided their subjective rating of the intensity of 5 negative emotions (pain, sadness, anger, fear, disgust) on an 11-point Likert scale. Videos of the participants (watching the animals) were scored for intensity of unpleasantness of the participants' facial expression (also on an 11-point Likert scale) by a trained observer who was blind to treatment. Participants showed more intense facial expressions while viewing painful procedures versus control procedures (mean ± SE Likert; 2.4 ± 0.08 versus 0.6 ± 0.17). Participants who reported more intense negative responses also showed stronger facial expressions (slope ± SE = 0.4 ± 0.04). Both the self-reported and facial measures varied with species and procedure witnessed. These results indicate that facial expressions can be used to assess human-animal empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lexis H. Ly
- Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Daniel M. Weary
- Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- * E-mail:
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8
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Bailey PE, Brady B, Ebner NC, Ruffman T. Effects of Age on Emotion Regulation, Emotional Empathy, and Prosocial Behavior. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2020; 75:802-810. [PMID: 30016531 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gby084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The degree to which older adults experience emotional empathy and show subsequent prosocial behavior versus experience personal distress in response to another's distress remains unclear. METHOD Young (n = 40; 17-29 years) and older (n = 39; 61-82 years) adults watched videos of individuals expressing pain or no pain. Pain mimicry was recorded using facial electromyography. Participants were then asked if they would spend the remaining time helping the experimenter. Self-reported tendency to suppress or reappraise emotion was assessed, as well as trait and state emotional empathy and personal distress. RESULTS Pain mimicry was associated with reduced trait suppression in older adults. In both age groups, greater emotional empathy, averaged across video condition, was associated with increased helping. In addition, relative to young adults, older adults reported more personal distress and emotional reactivity in response to the videos but were just as willing to help. They also put more effort into helping. DISCUSSION These findings contribute to clarification of mixed previous evidence regarding the experience of emotional empathy in young versus older adulthood. We discuss the importance of considering additional subcomponents of empathy such as emotion regulation, while also accounting for the relevance of the empathy induction to each age group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phoebe E Bailey
- School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
| | - Brooke Brady
- School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
| | - Natalie C Ebner
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville
| | - Ted Ruffman
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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9
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Holland AC, O’Connell G, Dziobek I. Facial mimicry, empathy, and emotion recognition: a meta-analysis of correlations. Cogn Emot 2020; 35:150-168. [DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2020.1815655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alison C. Holland
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Garret O’Connell
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Institute of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Isabel Dziobek
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Institute of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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10
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Lin XX, Sun YB, Wang YZ, Fan L, Wang X, Wang N, Luo F, Wang JY. Ambiguity Processing Bias Induced by Depressed Mood Is Associated with Diminished Pleasantness. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18726. [PMID: 31822749 PMCID: PMC6904491 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55277-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Depressed individuals are biased to perceive, interpret, and judge ambiguous cues in a negative/pessimistic manner. Depressed mood can induce and exacerbate these biases, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. We theorize that depressed mood can bias ambiguity processing by altering one's subjective emotional feelings (e.g. pleasantness/unpleasantness) of the cues. This is because when there is limited objective information, individuals often rely on subjective feelings as a source of information for cognitive processing. To test this theory, three groups (induced depression vs. spontaneous depression vs. neutral) were tested in the Judgement Bias Task (JBT), a behavioral assay of ambiguity processing bias. Subjective pleasantness/unpleasantness of cues was measured by facial electromyography (EMG) from the zygomaticus major (ZM, "smiling") and from the corrugator supercilii (CS, "frowning") muscles. As predicted, induced sad mood (vs. neutral mood) yielded a negative bias with a magnitude comparable to that in a spontaneous depressed mood. The facial EMG data indicates that the negative judgement bias induced by depressed mood was associated with a decrease in ZM reactivity (i.e., diminished perceived pleasantness of cues). Our results suggest that depressed mood may bias ambiguity processing by affecting the reward system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Xiao Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ya-Bin Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yu-Zheng Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lu Fan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, Beijing, China
| | - Ning Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fei Luo
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jin-Yan Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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11
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Fabi S, Weber LA, Leuthold H. Empathic concern and personal distress depend on situational but not dispositional factors. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0225102. [PMID: 31725812 PMCID: PMC6855434 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Empathic concern and personal distress are empathic responses that may result when observing someone in discomfort. Even though these empathic responses have received much attention in past research, it is still unclear which conditions contribute to their respective experience. Hence, the main goal of this study was to examine if dispositional empathic traits or rather situational variables are more likely to evoke empathic concern and personal distress and how the two empathic responses influence motor responses. We presented pictures of persons in psychological, physical, or no pain with matched descriptions of situations that promoted an other-focused state. Approach-avoidance movements were demanded by a subsequently presented tone. While psychological pain led to more empathic concern, physical pain led to higher ratings of personal distress. Linear mixed-effects modelling analysis further revealed that situational factors, such as the type of pain but also the affect experienced by the participants before the experiment predicted the two empathic responses, whereas dispositional empathic traits had no significant influence. In addition, the more intensely the empathic responses were experienced, the faster were movements initiated, presumably reflecting an effect of arousal. Overall, the present study advances our understanding of empathic responses to people in need and provides novel methodological tools to effectively manipulate and analyze empathic concern and personal distress in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Fabi
- Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Lydia Anna Weber
- Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hartmut Leuthold
- Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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12
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Jankowiak-Siuda K, Duszyk A, Dopierała A, Bujwid K, Rymarczyk K, Grabowska A. Empathic Responses for Pain in Facial Muscles Are Modulated by Actor's Attractiveness and Gender, and Perspective Taken by Observer. Front Psychol 2019; 10:624. [PMID: 30949111 PMCID: PMC6437081 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Although empathy for pain is an often studied phenomenon, only few studies employing electromyography (EMG) have investigated either emotional responses to the pain of others or factors that modulate these responses. The present study investigated whether the sex and attractiveness of persons experiencing pain affected muscle activity associated with empathy for pain, the corrugator supercili (CS) and orbicularis oculi (OO) muscles, in male and female participants in two conditions: adopting a perspective of “the other” or “the self.” Fifty one participants (27 females) watched movies showing situations that included the expression of pain, with female and male and more and less attractive actors under both conditions, while the CS and OO EMG were recorded. Perspective did not affect CS muscle activity, but OO muscle activity tended to be higher in women than men under the imagine-self condition. CS muscle activity, but not OO muscle activity, was modulated by the actors’ gender and attractiveness. CS muscle activity was stronger in response to the pain of less attractive than more attractive actors, and to the pain of female actors compared to male actors. Moreover, a positive correlation was found between empathic concern, as a trait, and CS muscle activity, but only in the imagine-self condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamila Jankowiak-Siuda
- Faculty of Psychology, Department of Experimental Neuropsychology, Institute of Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Duszyk
- Faculty of Psychology, Department of Experimental Neuropsychology, Institute of Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Dopierała
- Faculty of Psychology, Department of Experimental Neuropsychology, Institute of Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Bujwid
- Faculty of Psychology, Department of Experimental Neuropsychology, Institute of Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Krystyna Rymarczyk
- Faculty of Psychology, Department of Experimental Neuropsychology, Institute of Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Grabowska
- Faculty of Psychology, Department of Experimental Neuropsychology, Institute of Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
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13
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Drimalla H, Landwehr N, Hess U, Dziobek I. From face to face: the contribution of facial mimicry to cognitive and emotional empathy. Cogn Emot 2019; 33:1672-1686. [DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2019.1596068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Drimalla
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Social Cognition Group, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Berlin, Germany
- Digital Health Center, Hasso-Plattner-Institute, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Niels Landwehr
- Institute for Computer Science, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Ursula Hess
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Isabel Dziobek
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Social Cognition Group, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Berlin, Germany
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14
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Ardizzi M, Ferroni F, Siri F, Umiltà MA, Cotti A, Calbi M, Fadda E, Freedberg D, Gallese V. Beholders' sensorimotor engagement enhances aesthetic rating of pictorial facial expressions of pain. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2018; 84:370-379. [PMID: 30073408 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-018-1067-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The present study addresses a novel issue by investigating whether beholders' sensorimotor engagement with the emotional content of works of art contributes to the formation of their objective aesthetic judgment of beauty. To this purpose, participants' sensorimotor engagement was modulated by asking them to overtly contract the Corrugator Supercilii facial muscles or to refrain from any voluntary facial movement while judging the aesthetic value of painful and neutral facial expressions in select examples of Renaissance and Baroque paintings. Results demonstrated a specific increase in the aesthetic rating of paintings showing painful facial expressions during the congruent activation of the Corrugator Supercilii muscles. Furthermore, participants' empathetic traits and expertise in art were found to correlate directly with the amplitude of the motor enactment effect on aesthetic judgments. For the first time, we show the role of bottom-up bodily driven sensorimotor processes in the objective aesthetic evaluation of works of art.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Ardizzi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Volturno, 39/E, 43121, Parma, Italy.
| | - F Ferroni
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Volturno, 39/E, 43121, Parma, Italy
| | - F Siri
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Volturno, 39/E, 43121, Parma, Italy
| | - M A Umiltà
- Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - A Cotti
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Volturno, 39/E, 43121, Parma, Italy
| | - M Calbi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Volturno, 39/E, 43121, Parma, Italy
| | - E Fadda
- Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Industries, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - D Freedberg
- Department of Art History Columbia University, Italian Academy for Advanced Studies, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.,Warburg Institute, University of London, London, UK
| | - V Gallese
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Volturno, 39/E, 43121, Parma, Italy.,Department of Art History Columbia University, Italian Academy for Advanced Studies, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.,Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Study, University of London, London, UK
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15
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Voutilainen L, Henttonen P, Kahri M, Ravaja N, Sams M, Peräkylä A. Empathy, Challenge, and Psychophysiological Activation in Therapist-Client Interaction. Front Psychol 2018; 9:530. [PMID: 29695992 PMCID: PMC5904261 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 03/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Two central dimensions in psychotherapeutic work are a therapist's empathy with clients and challenging their judgments. We investigated how they influence psychophysiological responses in the participants. Data were from psychodynamic therapy sessions, 24 sessions from 5 dyads, from which 694 therapist's interventions were coded. Heart rate and electrodermal activity (EDA) of the participants were used to index emotional arousal. Facial muscle activity (electromyography) was used to index positive and negative emotional facial expressions. Electrophysiological data were analyzed in two time frames: (a) during the therapists' interventions and (b) across the whole psychotherapy session. Both empathy and challenge had an effect on psychophysiological responses in the participants. Therapists' empathy decreased clients' and increased their own EDA across the session. Therapists' challenge increased their own EDA in response to the interventions, but not across the sessions. Clients, on the other hand, did not respond to challenges during interventions, but challenges tended to increase EDA across a session. Furthermore, there was an interaction effect between empathy and challenge. Heart rate decreased and positive facial expressions increased in sessions where empathy and challenge were coupled, i.e., the amount of both empathy and challenge was either high or low. This suggests that these two variables work together. The results highlight the therapeutic functions and interrelation of empathy and challenge, and in line with the dyadic system theory by Beebe and Lachmann (2002), the systemic linkage between interactional expression and individual regulation of emotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liisa Voutilainen
- Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Mikko Kahri
- Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Niklas Ravaja
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mikko Sams
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, Espoo, Finland
| | - Anssi Peräkylä
- Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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16
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Ballotta D, Lui F, Porro CA, Nichelli PF, Benuzzi F. Modulation of neural circuits underlying temporal production by facial expressions of pain. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0193100. [PMID: 29447256 PMCID: PMC5814051 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Accepted: 02/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
According to the Scalar Expectancy Theory, humans are equipped with a biological internal clock, possibly modulated by attention and arousal. Both emotions and pain are arousing and can absorb attentional resources, thus causing distortions of temporal perception. The aims of the present single-event fMRI study were to investigate: a) whether observation of facial expressions of pain interferes with time production; and b) the neural network subserving this kind of temporal distortions. Thirty healthy volunteers took part in the study. Subjects were asked to perform a temporal production task and a concurrent gender discrimination task, while viewing faces of unknown people with either pain-related or neutral expressions. Behavioural data showed temporal underestimation (i.e., longer produced intervals) during implicit pain expression processing; this was accompanied by increased activity of right middle temporal gyrus, a region known to be active during the perception of emotional and painful faces. Psycho-Physiological Interaction analyses showed that: 1) the activity of middle temporal gyrus was positively related to that of areas previously reported to play a role in timing: left primary motor cortex, middle cingulate cortex, supplementary motor area, right anterior insula, inferior frontal gyrus, bilateral cerebellum and basal ganglia; 2) the functional connectivity of supplementary motor area with several frontal regions, anterior cingulate cortex and right angular gyrus was correlated to the produced interval during painful expression processing. Our data support the hypothesis that observing emotional expressions distorts subjective time perception through the interaction of the neural network subserving processing of facial expressions with the brain network involved in timing. Within this frame, middle temporal gyrus appears to be the key region of the interplay between the two neural systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Ballotta
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Fausta Lui
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
- Center for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Carlo Adolfo Porro
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
- Center for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Paolo Frigio Nichelli
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
- Center for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Francesca Benuzzi
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
- Center for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
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17
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Neves L, Cordeiro C, Scott SK, Castro SL, Lima CF. High emotional contagion and empathy are associated with enhanced detection of emotional authenticity in laughter. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2018; 71:2355-2363. [PMID: 30362411 DOI: 10.1177/1747021817741800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Nonverbal vocalisations such as laughter pervade social interactions, and the ability to accurately interpret them is an important skill. Previous research has probed the general mechanisms supporting vocal emotional processing, but the factors that determine individual differences in this ability remain poorly understood. Here, we ask whether the propensity to resonate with others' emotions-as measured by trait levels of emotional contagion and empathy-relates to the ability to perceive different types of laughter. We focus on emotional authenticity detection in spontaneous and voluntary laughs: spontaneous laughs reflect a less controlled and genuinely felt emotion, and voluntary laughs reflect a more deliberate communicative act (e.g., polite agreement). In total, 119 participants evaluated the authenticity and contagiousness of spontaneous and voluntary laughs and completed two self-report measures of resonance with others' emotions: the Emotional Contagion Scale and the Empathic Concern scale of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. We found that higher scores on these measures predict enhanced ability to detect laughter authenticity. We further observed that perceived contagion responses during listening to laughter significantly relate to authenticity detection. These findings suggest that resonating with others' emotions provides a mechanism for processing complex aspects of vocal emotional information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonor Neves
- 1 Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Carolina Cordeiro
- 1 Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sophie K Scott
- 2 Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - São Luís Castro
- 1 Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - César F Lima
- 1 Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,2 Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK.,3 Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Lisboa, Portugal
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18
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Kunz M, Lautenbacher S. Interactive process of facial communication of pain. Pain 2017; 158:1851-1852. [DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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19
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A Screening Mechanism Differentiating True from False Pain during Empathy. Sci Rep 2017; 7:11492. [PMID: 28904379 PMCID: PMC5597602 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11963-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Empathizing with another's suffering is important in social interactions. Empathic behavior is selectively elicited from genuine, meaningful pain but not from fake, meaningless scenarios. However, the brain's screening mechanism of false information from meaningful events and the time course for the screening process remains unclear. Using EEG combined with principle components analysis (PCA) techniques, here we compared temporal neurodynamics between the observation of pain and no-pain pictures as well as between true (painful expressions and needle-penetrated arms) and false (needle-penetrated faces with neutral expressions) pain pictures. The results revealed that pain vs. no-pain information is differentiated in the very early ERP components, i.e., the N1/P1 for the face and arm pictures categories and the VPP/N170 for the facial expression category while the mid-latency ERP components, N2 and P3, played key roles in differentiating true from false situations. The complex of N2 and P3 components may serve as a screening mechanism through which observers allocate their attentions to more important or relevant events and screen out false environmental information. This is the first study to describe and provide a time course of the screening process during pain empathy. These findings shed new light on the understanding of empathic processing.
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20
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Allen M, Frank D, Glen JC, Fardo F, Callaghan MF, Rees G. Insula and somatosensory cortical myelination and iron markers underlie individual differences in empathy. Sci Rep 2017; 7:43316. [PMID: 28256532 PMCID: PMC5335674 DOI: 10.1038/srep43316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Empathy is a key component of our ability to engage and interact with others. In recent years, the neural mechanisms underlying affective and cognitive empathy have garnered intense interest. This work demonstrates that empathy for others depends upon a distributed network of regions such as the insula, parietal cortex, and somatosensory areas, which are also activated when we ourselves experience an empathized-with emotion (e.g., pain). Individuals vary markedly in their ability to empathize with others, which predicts the tendency to help others and relates to individual differences in the neuroanatomy of these areas. Here, we use a newly developed, high-resolution (800 μm isotropic), quantitative MRI technique to better elucidate the neuroanatomical underpinnings of individual differences in empathy. Our findings extend previous studies of the neuroanatomical correlates of cognitive and affective empathy. In particular, individual differences in cognitive empathy were associated with markers of myeloarchitectural integrity of the insular cortex, while affective empathy was predicted by a marker of iron content in second somatosensory cortex. These results indicate potential novel biomarkers of trait empathy, suggesting that microstructural features of an empathy and body-related network are crucial for understanding the mental and emotional states of others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micah Allen
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL, Alexandra House, 17 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AZ, UK.,Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL, 12 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Darya Frank
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL, Alexandra House, 17 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AZ, UK.,Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, 46 Grafton Street, Manchester, M13 9NT, UK
| | - James C Glen
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL, Alexandra House, 17 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AZ, UK
| | - Francesca Fardo
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL, Alexandra House, 17 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AZ, UK.,Danish Pain Research Centre, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Hospital, Norrebrogade 44,Building 1A, 1st floor, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.,Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Martina F Callaghan
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL, 12 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Geraint Rees
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL, Alexandra House, 17 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AZ, UK.,Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL, 12 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
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21
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Nilsonne G, Tamm S, Golkar A, Sörman K, Howner K, Kristiansson M, Olsson A, Ingvar M, Petrovic P. Effects of 25 mg oxazepam on emotional mimicry and empathy for pain: a randomized controlled experiment. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017. [PMID: 28405353 DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.1558201.v3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Emotional mimicry and empathy are mechanisms underlying social interaction. Benzodiazepines have been proposed to inhibit empathy and promote antisocial behaviour. First, we aimed to investigate the effects of oxazepam on emotional mimicry and empathy for pain, and second, we aimed to investigate the association of personality traits to emotional mimicry and empathy. Participants (n=76) were randomized to 25 mg oxazepam or placebo. Emotional mimicry was examined using video clips with emotional expressions. Empathy was investigated by pain stimulating the participant and a confederate. We recorded self-rated experience, activity in major zygomatic and superciliary corrugator muscles, skin conductance, and heart rate. In the mimicry experiment, oxazepam inhibited corrugator activity. In the empathy experiment, oxazepam caused increased self-rated unpleasantness and skin conductance. However, oxazepam specifically inhibited neither emotional mimicry nor empathy for pain. Responses in both experiments were associated with self-rated empathic, psychopathic and alexithymic traits. The present results do not support a specific effect of 25 mg oxazepam on emotional mimicry or empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustav Nilsonne
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sandra Tamm
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Armita Golkar
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Karolina Sörman
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience , Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Katarina Howner
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience , Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Andreas Olsson
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience , Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Martin Ingvar
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Neuroradiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm Sweden
| | - Predrag Petrovic
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience , Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm, Sweden
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22
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Nilsonne G, Tamm S, Golkar A, Sörman K, Howner K, Kristiansson M, Olsson A, Ingvar M, Petrovic P. Effects of 25 mg oxazepam on emotional mimicry and empathy for pain: a randomized controlled experiment. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:160607. [PMID: 28405353 PMCID: PMC5383810 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2016] [Accepted: 02/10/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Emotional mimicry and empathy are mechanisms underlying social interaction. Benzodiazepines have been proposed to inhibit empathy and promote antisocial behaviour. First, we aimed to investigate the effects of oxazepam on emotional mimicry and empathy for pain, and second, we aimed to investigate the association of personality traits to emotional mimicry and empathy. Participants (n=76) were randomized to 25 mg oxazepam or placebo. Emotional mimicry was examined using video clips with emotional expressions. Empathy was investigated by pain stimulating the participant and a confederate. We recorded self-rated experience, activity in major zygomatic and superciliary corrugator muscles, skin conductance, and heart rate. In the mimicry experiment, oxazepam inhibited corrugator activity. In the empathy experiment, oxazepam caused increased self-rated unpleasantness and skin conductance. However, oxazepam specifically inhibited neither emotional mimicry nor empathy for pain. Responses in both experiments were associated with self-rated empathic, psychopathic and alexithymic traits. The present results do not support a specific effect of 25 mg oxazepam on emotional mimicry or empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustav Nilsonne
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sandra Tamm
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Armita Golkar
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Karolina Sörman
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Katarina Howner
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Andreas Olsson
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Martin Ingvar
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Neuroradiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm Sweden
| | - Predrag Petrovic
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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23
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Paes J, de Oliveira L, Pereira MG, David I, Souza GGL, Sobral AP, Machado-Pinheiro W, Mocaiber I. The Perception of Aversiveness of Surgical Procedure Pictures Is Modulated by Personal/Occupational Relevance. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0160582. [PMID: 27518897 PMCID: PMC4982615 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 07/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well established that emotions are organized around two motivational systems: the defensive and the appetitive. Individual differences are relevant factors in emotional reactions, making them more flexible and less stereotyped. There is evidence that health professionals have lower emotional reactivity when viewing scenes of situations involving pain. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the rating of pictures of surgical procedure depends on their personal/occupational relevance. Fifty-two female Nursing (health discipline) and forty-eight Social Work (social science discipline) students participated in the experiment, which consisted of the presentation of 105 images of different categories (e.g., neutral, food), including 25 images of surgical procedure. Volunteers judged each picture according to its valence (pleasantness) and arousal using the Self-Assessment Manikin scale (dimensional approach). Additionally, the participants chose the word that best described what they felt while viewing each image (discrete emotion perspective). The average valence score for surgical procedure pictures for the Nursing group (M = 4.57; SD = 1.02) was higher than the score for the Social Work group (M = 3.31; SD = 1.05), indicating that Nursing students classified those images as less unpleasant than the Social Work students did. Additionally, the majority of Nursing students (65.4%) chose "neutral" as the word that best described what they felt while viewing the pictures. In the Social Work group, disgust (54.2%) was the emotion that was most frequently chosen. The evaluation of emotional stimuli differed according to the groups' personal/occupational relevance: Nursing students judged pictures of surgical procedure as less unpleasant than the Social Work students did, possibly reflecting an emotional regulation skill or some type of habituation that is critically relevant to their future professional work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Paes
- Laboratory of Cognitive Psychophysiology, Department of Natural Sciences, Institute of Humanities and Health, Federal Fluminense University, Rio das Ostras, RJ, Brazil
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Behavior, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
| | - Leticia de Oliveira
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Behavior, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
| | - Mirtes Garcia Pereira
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Behavior, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
| | - Isabel David
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Behavior, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Guerra Leal Souza
- Laboratory of Psychophysiology, Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Sobral
- Department of Engineering, Institute of Science and Technology, Federal Fluminense University, Rio das Ostras, RJ, Brazil
| | - Walter Machado-Pinheiro
- Laboratory of Cognitive Psychophysiology, Department of Natural Sciences, Institute of Humanities and Health, Federal Fluminense University, Rio das Ostras, RJ, Brazil
| | - Izabela Mocaiber
- Laboratory of Cognitive Psychophysiology, Department of Natural Sciences, Institute of Humanities and Health, Federal Fluminense University, Rio das Ostras, RJ, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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