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Some researchers suggest that altruism operates on empathy. Empathy is the capacity to understand another person’s perspective, to feel what he or she feels. An empathetic person makes an emotional connection with others and feels compelled to help (Batson, 1991). Empathy can be expressed in several ways, including cognitive, affective, and motor. 
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Empathy: gender effects in brain and behavior.

Leonardo Christov-Moore1, Elizabeth A Simpson2, Gino Coudé3

  • 1Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, Brain Research Institute, UCLA (L C-M, KG, MI), Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (MI), 660 Charles Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Gender differences in empathy are rooted in biology, not just culture. Research across species and development shows distinct evolutionary and neurobiological bases for empathy in males and females.

Keywords:
ContagionDevelopmentEmotionEvolutionGenderHelpingMimicryMirror neuron systemOntogenyProsocialSex

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Social Psychology

Background:

  • Societal stereotypes often portray females as more empathetic than males.
  • The extent to which these differences are biological versus cultural remains debated.
  • Empathy has evolutionary and developmental roots that can be studied across species and age groups.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review evidence on sex differences in empathy, examining biological and cultural influences.
  • To explore the evolutionary and developmental origins of empathy differences.
  • To investigate the neurobiological underpinnings of empathy in males and females.

Main Methods:

  • Review of studies from ethology, social psychology, economics, and neuroscience.
  • Examination of implicit measures of empathy in humans and nonhuman animals.
  • Analysis of developmental data from infants and children.
  • Investigation of neurobiological correlates of empathy.

Main Results:

  • Fundamental differences in implicit empathy measures exist between sexes, with parallels in development and evolution.
  • Evidence suggests biological (phylogenetic and ontogenetic) roots for sex differences in empathy.
  • Neurobiological studies reveal quantitative and qualitative differences in empathy-related brain networks and information processing between males and females.

Conclusions:

  • Sex differences in empathy are biologically based, with evolutionary and developmental origins.
  • These differences are not solely cultural byproducts of gender roles.
  • Further research with improved methodologies is needed to understand the neurobiological basis and implications for psychiatric disorders.