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Interaction between oxytocin receptor polymorphism and interdependent culture values on human empathy
Siyang Luo1, Yina Ma1, Yi Liu1
1Department of Psychology, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, and.
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
|February 15, 2015
Summary
Gene variations in the oxytocin receptor (OXTR rs53576) interact with cultural interdependence to influence empathy. This gene-culture interaction affects both empathy levels and brain responses, impacting prosocial behavior.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Genetics
- Cultural Psychology
Background:
- Oxytocin receptor polymorphism (OXTR rs53576) associations with behavior vary across cultures.
- The specific cultural dimensions and neural mechanisms underlying gene-culture interactions remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how OXTR rs53576 interacts with interdependence to shape empathy.
- To examine gene × culture interactions at both behavioral and neural levels.
Main Methods:
- Experiment 1: Measured interdependence, empathy, and OXTR rs53576 genotypes in 1536 Chinese participants.
- Experiment 2: Used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess neural responses to suffering in OXTR rs53576 A/A and G/G homozygotes.
Main Results:
- A stronger link between interdependence and empathy was found in G allele carriers versus A/A homozygotes.
- Interdependence showed stronger associations with empathic neural responses in the insula, amygdala, and superior temporal gyrus for G/G carriers compared to A/A carriers.
Conclusions:
- Provides the first evidence for gene × culture interactions on empathy.
- Demonstrates these interactions influence both behavioral tendencies and underlying brain activity.
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