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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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Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation
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Imaging empathy and prosocial emotions.

Claus Lamm1, Markus Rütgen1, Isabella C Wagner1

  • 1Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria.

Neuroscience Letters
|July 3, 2017
PubMed
Summary

This review explores the neuroscience of empathy, detailing neural mechanisms for affect sharing and its links to prosocial behavior. It clarifies distinctions between empathy, sympathy, and compassion, highlighting future research directions.

Keywords:
CompassionEmpathyNeuroscienceProsocial behaviorSelf-other distinctionfMRI

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Empathy is crucial for social interactions.
  • Understanding the neural basis of empathy is key to understanding social behavior.
  • Existing research often examines components of empathy in isolation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review neuroscientific evidence on empathy in humans.
  • To explore neural representations of affect sharing and its relation to mentalizing.
  • To clarify distinctions between empathy, sympathy, and compassion and their link to prosocial behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Selective review of human neuroscientific literature.
  • Analysis of studies on affect sharing, mentalizing, and self-other distinction.
  • Synthesis of findings related to empathy, sympathy, compassion, and prosocial behavior.

Main Results:

  • Neural representations for affect sharing and mentalizing have been identified.
  • Self-other distinction is critical for empathic responses.
  • Empathy, sympathy, and compassion are distinct but related constructs influencing prosocial actions.

Conclusions:

  • Empathy's neural underpinnings are complex, involving affect sharing and mentalizing.
  • Clear distinctions between empathy, sympathy, and compassion are important for understanding prosocial behavior.
  • Integrating research across these constructs is essential for future advancements.