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Rusu AS. Endogenous Opioids and Volunteering: On the Evolutionary Significance of Helping Others. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2024; 35:251-265. [PMID: 38874727 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-45493-6_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
The human tendency to help others in need has been subject to trans-, inter-, and multidisciplinary studies (e.g., anthropology, neurobiology, evolutionary psychology, economy), within the frame of studying the mechanisms and adaptive significance of human prosocial behavior. Volunteering directed to unrelated and unfamiliar individuals is one common form of such helping behavior. Helping others may be adaptive for a species at a macro-level, which in turn is mediated by neurobiological mechanisms. A key target for analysis of the neurobiological underpinnings of volunteering is the endogenous opioid system (EOS). This chapter discusses EOS activity as a potential mediator of volunteering behavior. Evidence of the congruence between EOS involvement in social group behavior and social bonding and the role of these phenomena in volunteerism is reviewed. Models and empirical evidence of the mechanisms and adaptive value of helping unrelated others are discussed and integrated, including the mammalian caregiving system, the neurobiological model of prosocial behavior, synchrony promoting social bonding, and stress-driven motivation of prosocial action in immediate needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Simona Rusu
- Department of Fundamental Sciences, Faculty of Animal Science and Biotechnologies, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
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2
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Rennie SM, Prieur L, Platt M. Communication style drives emergent leadership attribution in virtual teams. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1095131. [PMID: 37034919 PMCID: PMC10080718 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1095131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Leader selection plays a key role in how human social groups are formed and maintained. Leadership is either assigned through formal processes within an organization, or emerges informally through interactions with other group members-particularly in novel contexts. COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption of virtual meetings and more flexible team structures. However our understanding of how assigned leadership influences subsequent leadership emergence in virtual settings is limited. Here we examine the relationship between assigned leadership within an existing organization and subsequent emergent leadership attributions as members engage in virtual interactions. To do so, we created and implemented a novel virtual group decision-making task designed to support quantification of a more comprehensive set of communication style elements, such as speech dynamics and facial expressions, as well as task behaviors. Sixteen members of a real world organization engaged four repeated rounds of a group decision making task with new team members each time. We found participants made novel attributions of emergent leadership rather than relying solely on existing assigned leadership. While assigned leadership did influence leadership attributions, communication style, including amount of speech but also variability in facial expressions, played a larger role. The behavior of these novel emergent leaders was also more consistent with expectations of leadership behavior: they spoke earlier, more often, and focused more on the correct decision than did assigned leaders. These findings suggest that, even within existing social networks, virtual contexts promote flexible group structures that depend more on communication style and task performance than assigned leadership.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott M. Rennie
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Marketing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Scott Rennie,
| | - Lana Prieur
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Michael Platt
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Marketing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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3
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Thompson NM, van Reekum CM, Chakrabarti B. Cognitive and Affective Empathy Relate Differentially to Emotion Regulation. AFFECTIVE SCIENCE 2022; 3:118-134. [PMID: 35465047 PMCID: PMC8989800 DOI: 10.1007/s42761-021-00062-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The constructs of empathy (i.e., understanding and/or sharing another's emotion) and emotion regulation (i.e., the processes by which one manages emotions) have largely been studied in relative isolation of one another. To better understand the interrelationships between their various component processes, this manuscript reports two studies that examined the relationship between empathy and emotion regulation using a combination of self-report and task measures. In study 1 (N = 137), trait cognitive empathy and affective empathy were found to share divergent relationships with self-reported emotion dysregulation. Trait emotion dysregulation was negatively related to cognitive empathy but did not show a significant relationship with affective empathy. In the second study (N = 92), the magnitude of emotion interference effects (i.e., the extent to which inhibitory control was impacted by emotional relative to neutral stimuli) in variants of a Go/NoGo and Stroop task were used as proxy measures of implicit emotion regulation abilities. Trait cognitive and affective empathy were differentially related to both task metrics. Higher affective empathy was associated with increased emotional interference in the Emotional Go/NoGo task; no such relationship was observed for trait cognitive empathy. In the Emotional Stroop task, higher cognitive empathy was associated with reduced emotional interference; no such relationship was observed for affective empathy. Together, these studies demonstrate that greater cognitive empathy was broadly associated with improved emotion regulation abilities, while greater affective empathy was typically associated with increased difficulties with emotion regulation. These findings point to the need for assessing the different components of empathy in psychopathological conditions marked by difficulties in emotion regulation. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-021-00062-w.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas M Thompson
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AL UK
| | - Carien M van Reekum
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AL UK
| | - Bhismadev Chakrabarti
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AL UK
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4
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Nebi E, Altmann T, Roth M. The influence of emotional salience on gaze behavior in low and high trait empathy: an exploratory eye-tracking study. The Journal of Social Psychology 2021; 162:109-127. [PMID: 34935601 DOI: 10.1080/00224545.2021.2001410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that situational factors like emotional salience are associated with higher subjective levels of state empathy. The present eye-tracking study explored whether gaze behavior varies as a function of emotional salience between individuals with low and high self-reported trait empathy. In a between-subjects design, we presented three social scene images in the context of different emotion conditions (Scene 1: neutral versus positive; Scene 2: neutral versus negative; Scene 3: positive versus negative) and assessed the dwell times of individuals with low versus high self-reported empathy (measured with the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire; TEQ). Analyses revealed that whereas low- and high-TEQ participants differed in their gaze behavior after receiving neutral information, they did not differ after receiving positive or negative information. Our preliminary results suggest that gaze behavior may be more indicative of self-reported trait empathy in situations with low emotional salience than in situations with high emotional salience.
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5
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Bi T, Xie Q, Gao J, Zhang T, Kou H. The Effect of Empathy on the Attentional Processing of Painful and Emotional Stimuli. Psychol Res Behav Manag 2021; 14:1223-1234. [PMID: 34408507 PMCID: PMC8364384 DOI: 10.2147/prbm.s318657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Empathy is shown to affect the attentional processing of painful stimuli and emotional stimuli. However, whether the attentional effects on emotional stimuli depend on emotional valence and the nature of the relationship between the attentional effects on different stimuli are still unknown. Methods In the present study, 25 high-empathy (HE) participants and 25 low-empathy (LE) participants were recruited to perform dot-probe tasks on painful stimuli and emotional stimuli. Results The results showed that HE individuals had weak attentional disengagement to painful pictures. More importantly, regarding emotional pictures, HE individuals showed attentional avoidance to negative emotion pictures, while LE individuals showed attentional bias to positive emotion pictures. Correlation analysis showed that the attentional bias score and attentional disengagement score were only associated with each other within the same category of stimuli (painful, positive or negative stimuli). Conclusion These results revealed that HE individuals mainly showed attentional avoidance to negative stimuli, while LE individuals mainly showed attentional bias to positive stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taiyong Bi
- Center for Mental Health Research in School of Management, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, People's Republic of China
| | - Qinhong Xie
- Center for Mental Health Research in School of Management, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, People's Republic of China.,School of Criminal Justice, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianhui Gao
- Center for Mental Health Research in School of Management, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, People's Republic of China
| | - Tao Zhang
- Center for Mental Health Research in School of Management, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, People's Republic of China
| | - Hui Kou
- Center for Mental Health Research in School of Management, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, People's Republic of China
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6
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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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7
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Salminen M, Hamari J, Ravaja N. Empathizing with the End User: Effect of Empathy and Emotional Intelligence on Ideation. CREATIVITY RESEARCH JOURNAL 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/10400419.2020.1864164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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8
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Espinosa L, Lundin Kleberg J, Hofvander B, Berggren S, Bölte S, Olsson A. Enhanced social learning of threat in adults with autism. Mol Autism 2020; 11:71. [PMID: 32962741 PMCID: PMC7510115 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-020-00375-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Recent theories have linked autism to challenges in prediction learning and social cognition. It is unknown, however, how autism affects learning about threats from others “demonstrators” through observation, which contains predictive learning based on social information. The aims of this study are therefore to investigate social fear learning in individual with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and to examine whether typically developing social cognition is necessary for successful observational learning. Methods Adults with ASD (n = 23) and neurotypical controls (n = 25) completed a social fear learning (SFL) procedure in which participants watched a “demonstrator” receiving electrical shocks in conjunction with a previously neutral conditioned stimulus (CS+), but never with a safe control stimulus (CS−). Skin conductance was used to measure autonomic responses of learned threat responses to the CS+ versus CS−. Visual attention was measured during learning using eye tracking. To establish a non-social learning baseline, each participant also underwent a test of Pavlovian conditioning. Results During learning, individuals with ASD attended less to the demonstrator’s face, and when later tested, displayed stronger observational, but not Pavlovian, autonomic indices of learning (skin conductance) compared to controls. In controls, both higher levels of attention to the demonstrator’s face and trait empathy predicted diminished expressions of learning during test. Limitations The relatively small sample size of this study and the typical IQ range of the ASD group limit the generalizability of our findings to individuals with ASD in the average intellectual ability range. Conclusions The enhanced social threat learning in individuals with ASD may be linked to difficulties using visual attention and mental state attributions to downregulate their emotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Espinosa
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Nobels väg 9, 171 65 Solna, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Johan Lundin Kleberg
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Björn Hofvander
- Lund Clinical Research on Externalizing and Developmental Psychopathology (LU-CRED), Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Division of Forensic Psychiatry, Region Skåne, Trelleborg, Sweden
| | - Steve Berggren
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sven Bölte
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.,Curtin Autism Research Group, School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia
| | - Andreas Olsson
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Nobels väg 9, 171 65 Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
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9
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I'll cry instead: Mu suppression responses to tearful facial expressions. Neuropsychologia 2020; 143:107490. [PMID: 32387069 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Tears are a facial expression of emotion that readily elicit empathic responses from observers. It is currently unknown whether these empathic responses to tears are influenced by specific neural substrates. The EEG mu rhythm is one method of investigating the human mirror neuron system, purported to underlie the sharing of affective states and a facilitator of social cognition. The purpose of this research was to explore the mu response to tearful expressions of emotion. Sixty-eight participants viewed happy and sad faces, both with and without tears, in addition to a neutral control condition. Participants first completed an emotion discrimination task, and then an imitation condition where they were required to mimic the displayed expression. Mu enhancement was found in response to the discrimination task, whilst suppression was demonstrated in response to the imitation condition. Examination of the suppression scores revealed that greater suppression was observed in response to happy-tear and sad tear-free expressions. Planned contrasts exploring suppression to neutral faces revealed no significant differences between emotional and neutral conditions. The mu response to neutral expressions resembled that of the happy-tear and the sad tear-free conditions, lending support to the idea that ambiguous emotional expressions require greater sensorimotor engagement. This study provides preliminary evidence for the role of the mirror neuron system in discerning tearful expressions of emotion in the absence of context.
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10
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Understanding empathy and its disorders through a focus on the neural mechanism. Cortex 2020; 127:347-370. [PMID: 32278184 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Revised: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Empathy is a complex, multi-dimensional process. As such, it can be impaired at multiple stages, producing disorders of empathy with separable underlying causes. Studies often divide empathy into emotional and cognitive components to simplify the large space of empathic processes. This practice can be helpful, but also causes people to misunderstand their interdependence at the level of the mechanism and how they correspond to surveys and tasks. As a result, inferences made from experimental results are often incorrect and cannot be integrated across studies. We explain how emotional and cognitive empathy overlap through the proximate mechanism and clarify their operationalization in common surveys and tasks. A systematic review of three clinical disorders is used to highlight this issue and reinterpret and unite results according to the proximate framework--Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). Aligning constructs through the proximate mechanism allows us to understand both empathy and its disorders.
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11
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Bonfils KA, Haas GL, Salyers MP. Emotion-specific performance across empathy tasks in schizophrenia: Influence of metacognitive capacity. Schizophr Res Cogn 2020; 19:100139. [PMID: 31828016 PMCID: PMC6889363 DOI: 10.1016/j.scog.2019.100139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Revised: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
People with schizophrenia exhibit deficits in emotion recognition that are associated with community and social functioning. Emotion-specific performance within emotion recognition tasks has been investigated, suggesting differential patterns of recognition for positive and negative emotions. However, no study has yet examined emotion-specific performance for a higher-order social cognitive construct such as empathy. This study aimed to: 1) examine emotion-specific performance on an empathy task, and 2) elucidate associations with four metacognitive domains: self-reflectivity, understanding of others' minds, decentration, and mastery. Fifty-seven people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder participated. All were administered a computerized, performance-based measure of empathy and an interview-based measure of metacognitive capacity. Results revealed that, consistent with research on facial affect recognition, participants performed significantly better when recognizing happiness in empathic stimuli than all other emotions. Results also revealed positive associations between empathic performance and metacognitive self-reflectivity, across types of emotions. Other metacognitive domains were also associated with performance, but in a less consistent manner. Together, results indicate that not all emotions are created equal - happiness is easier to recognize for those with schizophrenia, suggesting that social cognitive interventions may be more helpful if focused on recognizing negative emotions. Results also emphasize the importance of metacognitive capacity for basic and higher-order social cognitive skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey A. Bonfils
- VISN 4 Mental Illness Research, Education, & Clinical Center (MIRECC), VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, 4100 Allequippa St., Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Gretchen L. Haas
- VISN 4 Mental Illness Research, Education, & Clinical Center (MIRECC), VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, 4100 Allequippa St., Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Michelle P. Salyers
- Psychology Department, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 North Blackford Street, Indianapolis, IN, United States
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12
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Adriaense JEC, Koski SE, Huber L, Lamm C. Challenges in the comparative study of empathy and related phenomena in animals. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 112:62-82. [PMID: 32001272 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this review is to discuss recent arguments and findings in the comparative study of empathy. Based on a multidisciplinary approach including psychology and ethology, we review the non-human animal literature concerning theoretical frameworks, methodology, and research outcomes. One specific objective is to highlight discrepancies between theory and empirical findings, and to discuss ambiguities present in current data and their interpretation. In particular, we focus on emotional contagion and its experimental investigation, and on consolation and targeted helping as measures for sympathy. Additionally, we address the feasibility of comparing across species with behavioural data alone. One main conclusion of our review is that animal research on empathy still faces the challenge of closing the gap between theoretical concepts and empirical evidence. To advance our knowledge, we propose to focus more on the emotional basis of empathy, rather than on possibly ambiguous behavioural indicators, and we provide suggestions to overcome the limitations of previous research .
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Affiliation(s)
- J E C Adriaense
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Department of Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - S E Koski
- Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, Unioninkatu 35, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - L Huber
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - C Lamm
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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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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Bonfils KA, Lysaker PH, Minor KS, Salyers MP. Metacognition, Personal Distress, and Performance-Based Empathy in Schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 2019; 45:19-26. [PMID: 30281088 PMCID: PMC6293236 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sby137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND People with schizophrenia experience significant deficits in the kinds of empathic skills that are the foundation for interpersonal relationships. Researchers have speculated that deficits in empathic skills in schizophrenia may be related to disturbances in metacognition and heightened levels of personal distress. To explore this issue, this study examined whether better metacognition and reduced personal distress would be associated with improved performance on cognitive and affective empathy tasks. Further, we tested whether metacognition moderated the relationship between personal distress and empathy. METHOD Fifty-eight participants with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders receiving community-based treatment completed a self-report questionnaire of personal distress, a performance-based measure of empathy, and an observer-rated interview to assess metacognitive capacity. RESULTS Correlation analyses revealed that metacognitive capacity, but not personal distress, was significantly associated with cognitive and affective empathy performance. Moderation results suggest the relationship between personal distress and affective empathy performance was significant for those with low metacognition, but that the relationship was the opposite of hypotheses-increased personal distress predicted better performance. This relationship changed at higher levels of metacognition, when increased personal distress became associated with reduced performance. CONCLUSIONS This study is the first of its kind to examine performance-based empathy with metacognition and personal distress. Results suggest interventions targeted to improve metacognition may be useful in enhancing empathic skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey A Bonfils
- VISN 4 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA,To whom correspondence should be addressed; Research Office Building–MIRECC (Mailcode: 151R), University Drive C, Pittsburgh, PA 15240, US; tel: 412-360-2827, fax: 412-360-2369, e-mail:
| | - Paul H Lysaker
- Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN,Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
| | - Kyle S Minor
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
| | - Michelle P Salyers
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
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15
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Perceiving emotion in non-social targets: The effect of trait empathy on emotional contagion through art. MOTIVATION AND EMOTION 2017; 41:492-509. [PMID: 28757668 PMCID: PMC5509827 DOI: 10.1007/s11031-017-9619-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
This research examines the role of trait empathy in emotional contagion through non-social targets—art objects. Studies 1a and 1b showed that high- (compared to low-) empathy individuals are more likely to infer an artist’s emotions based on the emotional valence of the artwork and, as a result, are more likely to experience the respective emotions themselves. Studies 2a and 2b experimentally manipulated artists’ emotions via revealing details about their personal life. Study 3 experimentally induced positive vs. negative emotions in individuals who then wrote literary texts. These texts were shown to another sample of participants. High- (compared to low-) empathy participants were more like to accurately identify and take on the emotions ostensibly (Studies 2a and 2b) or actually (Study 3) experienced by the “artists”. High-empathy individuals’ enhanced sensitivity to others’ emotions is not restricted to social targets, such as faces, but extends to products of the human mind, such as objects of art.
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16
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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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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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18
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Lagattuta KH, Kramer HJ. Try to look on the bright side: Children and adults can (sometimes) override their tendency to prioritize negative faces. J Exp Psychol Gen 2017; 146:89-101. [PMID: 28054815 PMCID: PMC5289071 DOI: 10.1037/xge0000247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
We used eye tracking to examine 4- to 10-year-olds' and adults' (N = 173) visual attention to negative (anger, fear, sadness, disgust) and neutral faces when paired with happy faces in 2 experimental conditions: free-viewing ("look at the faces") and directed ("look only at the happy faces"). Regardless of instruction, all age groups more often looked first to negative versus positive faces (no age differences), suggesting that initial orienting is driven by bottom-up processes. In contrast, biases in more sustained attention-last looks and looking duration-varied by age and could be modified by top-down instruction. On the free-viewing task, all age groups exhibited a negativity bias which attenuated with age and remained stable across trials. When told to look only at happy faces (directed task), all age groups shifted to a positivity bias, with linear age-related improvements. This ability to implement the "look only at the happy faces" instruction, however, fatigued over time, with the decrement stronger for children. Controlling for age, individual differences in executive function (working memory and inhibitory control) had no relation to the free-viewing task; however, these variables explained substantial variance on the directed task, with children and adults higher in executive function showing better skill at looking last and looking longer at happy faces. Greater anxiety predicted more first looks to angry faces on the directed task. These findings advance theory and research on normative development and individual differences in the bias to prioritize negative information, including contributions of bottom-up salience and top-down control. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hannah J Kramer
- Department of Psychology, and Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis
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19
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Devil in the Details: Effects of Depression on the Prosocial Response Depend on Timing and Similarity. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-016-0044-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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20
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Balconi M, Canavesio Y. Empathy, Approach Attitude, and rTMs on Left DLPFC Affect Emotional Face Recognition and Facial Feedback (EMG). J PSYCHOPHYSIOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1027/0269-8803/a000150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. Empathic trait (Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale [BEES]) and emotional attitude (Behavior Activation System [BAS]) were supposed to modulate emotional face recognition, based on left dorsolateral prefrontal (DLPFC) cortex contribution. High-empathic trait (high-BEES) was compared with low-empathic trait (low-BEES), when detection performance (Accuracy Index; Response Times [RTs]) and facial activity (electromyogram, EMG, i.e., zygomatic and corrugators muscle activity) were analyzed. Moreover, the implication of the left DLPFC was tested by using low-frequency rTMS (repeated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) to induce a decreased response to facial expression of emotions when subjects (N = 46) were required to empathize with the emotional stimuli. EMG and behavioral responses were found to be modulated by BEES and BAS, with a decreased performance and a reduced facial responsiveness in response to happiness for high-BEES and high-BAS in the case of TMS on left DLPFC. Secondly, an emotion-specific effect was found: the DLPFC effect was observed for the positive emotion (happiness) more than for the negative emotions (anger and fear) with a decreased performance (lower Accuracy Index [AI] and higher RTs) and a decreased zygomatic muscle activity. Finally, a direct correlation was found between BEES and BAS and the latter was revealed to be predictive (regression analysis) of the behavioral and EMG modulation induced by TMS. These results suggest significant effect by empathic and emotional attitude component on both EMG and behavioral level in emotional face recognition. This mechanism appears to be supported and regulated by DLPFC. The lateralization (left) effect was discussed in light of the valence model of emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Balconi
- Research Unit in Affective and Social Neuroscience, Catholic University of Milan, Italy
- Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology, Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy
| | - Ylenia Canavesio
- Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology, Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy
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21
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Cheng P, Preston SD, Jonides J, Mohr AH, Thummala K, Casement M, Hsing C, Deldin PJ. Evidence against mood-congruent attentional bias in Major Depressive Disorder. Psychiatry Res 2015; 230:496-505. [PMID: 26477954 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.09.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2015] [Revised: 09/22/2015] [Accepted: 09/27/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Depression is consistently associated with biased retrieval and interpretation of affective stimuli, but evidence for depressive bias in earlier cognitive processing, such as attention, is mixed. In five separate experiments, individuals with depression (three experiments with clinically diagnosed major depression, two experiments with dysphoria measured via the Beck Depression Inventory) completed three tasks designed to elicit depressive biases in attention, including selective attention, attentional switching, and attentional inhibition. Selective attention was measured using a modified emotional Stroop task, while attentional switching and inhibition was examined via an emotional task-switching paradigm and an emotional counter task. Results across five different experiments indicate that individuals with depression perform comparably with healthy controls, providing corroboration that depression is not characterized by biases in attentional processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Cheng
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - Stephanie D Preston
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - John Jonides
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Alicia Hofelich Mohr
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Kirti Thummala
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Melynda Casement
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Courtney Hsing
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Patricia J Deldin
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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22
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Kleberg JL, Selbing I, Lundqvist D, Hofvander B, Olsson A. Spontaneous eye movements and trait empathy predict vicarious learning of fear. Int J Psychophysiol 2015; 98:577-83. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2015.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2014] [Revised: 03/02/2015] [Accepted: 04/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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Abstract
Empathy facilitates everyday social interactions and has often been linked in the literature to prosocial behavior. Robust evidence has been found for a positive relationship between experiencing empathy and behaving prosocially. However, empathy, and the empathy–prosocial behavior relationship in particular, has been studied mostly in combination with negative emotions. Less research has been conducted on empathy for positive emotions, and the link between positive empathy and displayed prosocial behavior has not been intensively investigated so far. The purpose of the present article is thus twofold: first, we review and summarize research evidence on empathy for positive emotions, and second, we propose that people’s motivation to maintain an experienced positive affect is a viable mechanism linking positive empathy and prosocial behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils-Torge Telle
- Institute of Experimental Industrial Psychology, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany
| | - Hans-Rüdiger Pfister
- Institute of Experimental Industrial Psychology, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany
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Iacono V, Ellenbogen MA, Wilson AL, Desormeau P, Nijjar R. Inhibition of personally-relevant angry faces moderates the effect of empathy on interpersonal functioning. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0112990. [PMID: 25695426 PMCID: PMC4334999 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0112990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2014] [Accepted: 10/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
While empathy is typically assumed to promote effective social interactions, it can sometimes be detrimental when it is unrestrained and overgeneralized. The present study explored whether cognitive inhibition would moderate the effect of empathy on social functioning. Eighty healthy young adults underwent two assessments six months apart. Participants’ ability to suppress interference from distracting emotional stimuli was assessed using a Negative Affective Priming Task that included both generic and personally-relevant (i.e., participants’ intimate partners) facial expressions of emotion. The UCLA Life Stress Interview and Empathy Quotient were administered to measure interpersonal functioning and empathy respectively. Multilevel modeling demonstrated that higher empathy was associated with worse concurrent interpersonal outcomes for individuals who showed weak inhibition of the personally-relevant depictions of anger. The effect of empathy on social functioning might be dependent on individuals’ ability to suppress interference from meaningful emotional distractors in their environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Iacono
- Centre for Research in Human Development, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Mark A. Ellenbogen
- Centre for Research in Human Development, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Alexa L. Wilson
- Centre for Research in Human Development, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Philip Desormeau
- Centre for Research in Human Development, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Rami Nijjar
- Centre for Research in Human Development, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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Deschamps PKH, Schutter DJLG, Kenemans JL, Matthys W. Empathy and prosocial behavior in response to sadness and distress in 6- to 7-year olds diagnosed with disruptive behavior disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2015; 24:105-13. [PMID: 24643447 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-014-0535-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2013] [Accepted: 03/01/2014] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Empathy has been associated with decreased antisocial and increased prosocial behavior. This study examined empathy and prosocial behavior in response to sadness and distress in disruptive behavior disorder (DBD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Six- and 7-year-old children with DBD (with and without ADHD) (n = 67) and with ADHD only (n = 27) were compared to typically developing children (TD) (n = 37). Parents and teachers rated affective empathy in response to sadness and distress on the Griffith Empathy Measure. Children reported affective empathic ability in response to sad story vignettes. Empathy-induced prosocial behavior in response to sadness and distress was assessed with a computer task, the Interpersonal Response Task (IRT). Compared to TD, children with DBD (with and without ADHD) and those with ADHD only were rated as less empathic by their teachers, but not by their parents. No differences between groups were observed in children who reported affect correspondence. Children with DBD (with and without ADHD) showed less prosocial behavior in response to sadness and distress compared to TD. Children with ADHD only did not differ from TD. An additional analysis comparing all children with a diagnosis to the TD group revealed that the difference in prosocial behavior remained after controlling for ADHD symptoms, but not after controlling for DBD symptoms. These findings of impaired empathy-induced prosocial behavior in response to sadness and distress in young children with DBD suggest that interventions to ameliorate peer relationships may benefit from targeting on increasing prosocial behavior in these children.
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Affiliation(s)
- P K H Deschamps
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Postbus 85500, HP A01.468, 3508 GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands,
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26
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Buchanan TW, Preston SD. Stress leads to prosocial action in immediate need situations. Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:5. [PMID: 24478652 PMCID: PMC3897879 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2013] [Accepted: 01/06/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress clearly influences decision making, but the effects are complex. This review focuses on the potential for stress to promote prosocial decisions, serving others at a temporary cost to the self. Recent work has shown altruistic responses under stress, particularly when the target’s need is salient. We discuss potential mechanisms for these effects, including emotional contagion and offspring care mechanisms. These neurobiological mechanisms may promote prosocial—even heroic—action, particularly when an observer knows the appropriate response and can respond to a target in need. The effects of stress on behavior are not only negative, they can be adaptive and altruistic under conditions that promote survival and well-being at the individual and group level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony W Buchanan
- Department of Psychology, Saint Louis University St. Louis, MO, USA
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Deschamps P, Munsters N, Kenemans L, Schutter D, Matthys W. Facial mimicry in 6-7 year old children with disruptive behavior disorder and ADHD. PLoS One 2014; 9:e84965. [PMID: 24416323 PMCID: PMC3886997 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2013] [Accepted: 11/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Impairments in facial mimicry are considered a proxy for deficits in affective empathy and have been demonstrated in 10 year old children and in adolescents with disruptive behavior disorder (DBD). However, it is not known whether these impairments are already present at an earlier age. Emotional deficits have also been shown in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Aims To examine facial mimicry in younger, 6–7 year old children with DBD and with ADHD. Methods Electromyographic (EMG) activity in response to emotional facial expressions was recorded in 47 children with DBD, 18 children with ADHD and 35 healthy developing children. Results All groups displayed significant facial mimicry to the emotional expressions of other children. No group differences between children with DBD, children with ADHD and healthy developing children were found. In addition, no differences in facial mimicry were found between the clinical group (i.e., all children with a diagnosis) and the typically developing group in an analysis with ADHD symptoms as a covariate, and no differences were found between the clinical children and the typically developing children with DBD symptoms as a covariate. Conclusion Facial mimicry in children with DBD and ADHD throughout the first primary school years was unimpaired, in line with studies on empathy using other paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Deschamps
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Nicolette Munsters
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Research Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Leon Kenemans
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Research Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Dennis Schutter
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Research Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Walter Matthys
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Child and Adolescent Studies, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Balconi M, Canavesio Y. High-frequency rTMS improves facial mimicry and detection responses in an empathic emotional task. Neuroscience 2013; 236:12-20. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.12.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2012] [Revised: 12/06/2012] [Accepted: 12/14/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Preston SD, Hofelich AJ. The Many Faces of Empathy: Parsing Empathic Phenomena through a Proximate, Dynamic-Systems View of Representing the Other in the Self. EMOTION REVIEW 2012. [DOI: 10.1177/1754073911421378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
A surfeit of research confirms that people activate personal, affective, and conceptual representations when perceiving the states of others. However, researchers continue to debate the role of self–other overlap in empathy due to a failure to dissociate neural overlap, subjective resonance, and personal distress. A perception–action view posits that neural-level overlap is necessary during early processing for all social understanding, but need not be conscious or aversive. This neural overlap can subsequently produce a variety of states depending on the context and degree of common experience and emotionality. We outline a framework for understanding the interrelationship between neural and subjective overlap, and among empathic states, through a dynamic-systems view of how information is processed in the brain and body.
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Abstract
Physiological resonance between individuals is considered fundamental to the biological capacity for empathy. Observers of pain and distress commonly exhibit increases in reported distress, autonomic arousal, facial mimicry, and overlapping neural activity. An important, unstudied question is whether physiological stress can also resonate. Physiological stress is operationalized as activation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenocortical (HPA) and sympatho-adrenomedullary (SAM) axes. People often report an aversive state resulting from the stress of another, but this could be conveyed through resonating arousal or distress, without activating the physiological stress response. Physiological stress is particularly important to examine since it commonly occurs chronically, with known negative effects on health. Salivary cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) were measured in both speakers and observers during a modified Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) to assess activation of the HPA and SAM axes (respectively). Cortisol (but not sAA) responses resonated between speakers and observers. The cortisol response of observers increased with trait empathy and was not related to the speaker's subjective fear or distress. This study provides a novel method for examining physiological resonance, and indicates that we can indeed catch another's physiological stress, suggesting a specific health risk for those in the social network of stressed individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony W Buchanan
- Department of Psychology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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