A Neuroscience Look at Empathy

The Healing Connection

Photo by Author Using Microsoft Design AI

What is genuine empathy?

According to Naselle et al. (2020), empathy is understanding what others feel while maintaining a boundary between what you are feeling and what the other person is feeling. People need compassion from others throughout their lives. While vicariously experiencing another person's feelings, empathy allows us to stimulate the emotions and cognitions of the other. It is imperative for self-esteem. The more people feel seen, heard, and understood, the more they feel valued. People tend to be happy when they are social.

Many people belong to friend groups. Studies have shown these groups can be most successful when members make efforts to understand the emotional states of others and the motivation to respond with care to friends in the group. Empathy creates safety and motivates group members to feel safe and vulnerable with other group members. As a result, the friend groups become more cohesive. They trust one another and feel cared for.

Neuroscience Reseach

Research has shown that empathy is more complicated than most of us realize. Technology and the ability to see inside the brain have brought a more profound understanding of empathy(Decety et al., 2021). It's easy to see how science has grown healing and kindness with the following technology: functional MRI, electroencephalography, electromyography, and near-infrared spectroscopy, to name a few instruments. I am glued to what is happening in my brain when I am empathic and receive empathy from another.

According to Jankowiak-Siuda et al. (2011), the original findings of the neuroscience of empathy began in the study of monkey brains. Investigations revealed that the heart shared a person's emotional state with an observer and the cognitive state with another.

The initial mechanism in the brain that allowed for emotional and cognitive empathy and emotional empathy has been studied as the mirror neuron system. The mirror neurons are in the brain's central promoter (area F5) and parietal (area PF) cortex. As research has become more sophisticated, Burkett et al. (2023) discussed later studies that showed mirror neurons in the frontal and parietal cortices in humans led to the proposal of mirror-like systems. When observers watch the actions of others, studies have revealed a wide overlap of cortical areas activated in the observer.

Neuroendocrinology

Burkett et al. (2023) discuss that oxytocin is the primary hormone involved in empathy. This hormone is usually associated with childbirth and breast milk production. Genetic variation in the oxytocin receptor predicts personality empathy in humans, and drug administration of oxytocin enhances emotional recognition empathy. Drug-administered oxytocin has been investigated for its potential to treat autism and improve aspects of heart and social functioning by engaging primary sensory regions of the brain.

Experiencing Empathy

Jankowiak-Siuda et al.. (2011) discuss how empathy can stimulate the affective and cognitive state of the other. Sometimes, empathy can become a salve to a person in emotional pain. It helps the person who offers their heart and listens very clearly to a person in distress, which can be healing. Sometimes, when you see someone down, it can be very comforting. Comfort can provide safety and allow the person in pain to talk more about their problem. Empathy can lead to social relationships. It is essential to notice how others respond to your empathy. If they seem uncomfortable, leave it and say Hope you feel better soon.

Takeaways

1. As with many human behaviors, empathy is much more complex than most think.

2. There are other theories about empathy. During the last few decades, much has been learned; however, there is more to research

3. Speaking emphatically to another will get the conversation to move further.

References

Burkett, J., & Naghavi, F. (2022, January 28). The Neuroendocrinology of Empathy. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Retrieved July 23 2023,fromhttps://oxfordre.com/neuroscience/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264086.001.0001/acrefore-9780190264086-e-256.

Decety, J., & Holvoet, C. (2021). The emergence of empathy: a developmental neuroscience perspective. Developmental Review, 62, 10099

Depow, G. J., Francis, Z., & Inzlicht, M. (2021). The Experience of Empathy in Everyday Life. Psychological Science, 32(8), 1198–1213. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797621995202

Doerksen F, Bending J, Largo-Janssen A. Effectiveness of empathy in general practice: a systematic review. British Journal of General Practice. 2013 Jan 1;63(606):e76–84.

Inbal Ben-Ami Bartal, Jocelyn M Breton, Huanjie Sheng, Kimberly LP Long, Stella Chen, Aline Halliday, Justin W Kenney, Anne L Wheeler, Paul Frankland, Carrie Shilyansky, Karl Deisseroth, Dacher Keltner, Daniela Kaufer. (2021)New Research Exposes the Biological Basis of Empathy, LifeTap Aviv University.

Jankowiak-Siuda K, Rymarczyk K, Grabowska A. How we empathize with others: a neurobiological perspective. Med Sci Monit. 2011 Jan;17(1):RA18–24. Doi 10.12659/msm.881324. PMID: 21169921; PMCID: PMC3524680

Marsh, A. A. (2018). The neuroscience of empathy. Current opinion in behavioral sciences, 19, 110–115.

Nasello, J. A., & Triffaux, J. M. (2020). Focusing: A new challenge for improving the empathy skills of medical students. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 53, 102536.

Plank, I. S., von Thienen, J. P. A., & Meinel, C. (2021). The neuroscience of empathy: research-overview and implications for human-centered design. Design Thinking Research: Translation, Prototyping, and Measurement, 89–124.

Santamaría-García, H., Baez, S., García, A.M. et al. Empathy for others’ suffering and its mediators in mental health professionals. Sci Rep 7, 6391 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-06775-y

Singer, T., & Tusche, A. (2014). Understanding others: Brain mechanisms of theory of mind and empathy. In Neuroeconomics (pp. 513–532). Academic Press.

Stevens, F., & Taber, K. (2021). The neuroscience of empathy and compassion in pro-social behavior. Neuropsychologia, 159, 107925.

Vaisvaser, S. (2021). The embodied-enactive-interactive brain: Bridging neuroscience and creative arts therapies. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 634079.