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Published on: September 28, 2018
Power changes how the brain responds to others.
Jeremy Hogeveen1, Michael Inzlicht2, Sukhvinder S Obhi1
1Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Wilfrid Laurier University.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. General
|July 3, 2013
Summary
People with high power show less motor resonance, meaning reduced mirroring of others' actions. This suggests a neural basis for how power affects social interactions and processing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Social Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Power dynamics significantly influence human social interactions.
- The neural underpinnings of how power affects social processing remain largely unexplored.
- Motor resonance, linked to the human mirror system, involves shared brain activation during action and observation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of experimentally induced power on motor resonance.
- To explore the neural mechanisms through which power influences social interaction processing.
Main Methods:
- Participants were assigned to high-, neutral-, or low-power induction conditions.
- Motor resonance was measured using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) during an action observation task.
- Motor cortical output was assessed to quantify levels of motor resonance.
Main Results:
- Participants in the high-power condition exhibited significantly lower motor resonance compared to those in the low-power condition.
- A gradient of motor resonance was observed, with high-power individuals showing the least and low-power individuals showing the most resonance.
- These findings indicate reduced mirroring of others' actions in individuals experiencing high power.
Conclusions:
- Decreased motor resonance may represent a neural mechanism contributing to power-induced biases in social interaction.
- Reduced mirroring of others' actions by powerful individuals could alter social perception and empathy.
- Understanding the neural effects of power is crucial for comprehending social behavior and inequality.
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