Read this article to find out how empathy works and 4 cool facts about being empathetic!
What is empathy?
Empathy is the ability to feel the emotional state of another person, whether it is fear, joy, or sadness. This cognitive function of ours is crucial in order to have a colourful social life. This article will elaborate further on the science behind such a phenomenon.
Types of empathy
Empathy, sympathy, responsiveness, imitation, “infection” with an emotional state, “infection” with a sensorimotor state, understanding the point of view of other people, concern, pity ... If you start with the terminologies, then there will immediately be bickering over the definitions using which we describe exactly how we resonate with the emotional state of other people
(this also includes the question of what does the absence of such a resonance mean – joy from the misfortune of another or just indifference).
The Anterior Cingulate Cortex
When you begin to delve into the essence of empathy, you'll quickly find out that all neurobiological pathways pass through the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). According to the results and experiments with neuro scans for which some individuals felt pain whilst others didn't, the frontal cortex has been proved to be the core of the neuroscience behind empathy.
Given the known classical functions of the ACC in mammals, its association with empathy was unexpected. These are the functions:
Processing information via internal organs. The brain receives sensory information not only from the outside but also from internal organs – muscles, a parched mouth or even a rebellious intestine. If your heart is pounding and your emotions are miraculously sharper, you can thank the ACC. It literally turns the “gut feeling” into intuition as this very “gut feeling” affects the work of the frontal cortex. Thereby the main type of inside information that the ACC responds to is pain.
Tracking conflicts. The ACC responds to conflicting feelings when what is received does not match what is expected. Basically, while performing some action, you expect certain results, and if the result received is worst to what you expected, then the ACC becomes alerted. At the same time, if the result is better than what you expected, the ACC will "cheer up" as a result.
Interesting facts about empathy
Fact No.1: Lack of empathy can be a sign of mental disorders. Empathy is an emotional response backed up by human nature. The term is a calque from the German Einfühlung, introduced in 1885 by Theodor Lipps when describing the impact of art on people.
British psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen proposed a scale of empathy from zero (complete absence) to six (altruism). A complete lack of empathy is associated with various diseases (e.g. narcissistic personality disorder, psychopathy). Altruism is when a person has an overabundance of empathy and is always focused on others' feelings.
It is believed that a large number of people with high levels of empathy are virtuous. However, altruists themselves often find it difficult to construct personal boundaries.
Fact No.2: Empathy is innate and related to the work of mirror neurons. This is evident in the behaviour of an infant who cries when he hears a baby crying from the next crib or copying his mother’s emotions. Copying is an essential part of human maturation as this is how a person “learns” emotions. Mirror neurons are involved in the neurophysiological mechanisms of empathy. In various experiments, it was discovered that if a person says something disgusting, it excites the neurons that are responsible for squeamishness. But, if you convey the emotion of pain, the brain reacts as if the pain is experienced by the listener.
Fact No.3: Humans are not the only species that can experience empathy. A study was conducted by specialists from the Netherlands Institute of Neuroscience, led by Christian Keizers. They developed a model to study the neurobiological basis of empathy and completed certain experiments on rats, which are considered one of the most intelligent animals. For the duration of the experiment, one animal was placed in a compartment, where, when a lever was pressed, a sugar ball was given to the rat. In the next compartment, the rat was placed on a grid, which could be energized. The essence of the experiment is simple: receiving a treat, one rat actually electrocuted the other. Having witnessed the suffering of its fellow, the first rat initially reduced the number of servings of sugar, and then completely eliminated it. Interestingly, this behaviour did not depend on the sex of the rats, nor on whether they had previously known each other. Moreover, the effect of empathy was stronger if the “tormentor” had once experienced an electric shock. To conclude, rats avoided hurting their relatives and showcased empathy. This is one of the many examples that prove the presence of empathy in other species.
Fact No.4: Empathy is only partially genetically transmitted. This was shown by research at the University of Cambridge, which involved 46,000 people. In the research, each person took a survey and received a “coefficient of empathy” as a result. They also gave saliva samples for DNA testing. During this experiment, scientists looked for differences in genes that could explain why some people are more prone to empathy than others. The experiment showed that in only 10% of cases, a person’s capacity for empathy is genetically determined. At the same time, scientists have not yet discovered a specific cause for a high level of empathy. Yet, in 90% of cases, empathy often seems to be a product of the cultural environment.
Bibliography
1. “Anterior Cingulate Cortex.” Wikipedia, 16 Feb. 2022, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anterior_cingulate_cortex.
2. “I Feel You: Emotional Mirror Neurons Found in the Rat.” Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience - Master the Mind, nin.nl/news/i-feel-you-emotional-mirror-neurons-found-in-the-rat/. Accessed 1 Aug. 2023.
3. Baron-Cohen, Simon. “Psychology Tools.” Psychology Tools, 27 May 2004, psychology-tools.com/test/empathy-quotient.
4. Burns, Timothy. “Theodor Lipps on the Concept of Einfühlung (Empathy).” Theodor Lipps (1851-1914): Psychologie, Philosophie, Esthétique, Langage/Psychology, Philosophy, Aesthetics, Language, 2021, www.academia.edu/35938838/Theodor_Lipps_on_the_Concept_of_Einf%C3%BChlung_Empathy. Accessed 1 Aug. 2023.
5. “Study Finds That Genes Play a Role in Empathy.” University of Cambridge, 12 Mar. 2018, www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/study-finds-that-genes-play-a-role-in-empathy.
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