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Inducing empathy affects cardiovascular reactivity reflected in changes in high-frequency heart rate variability
Claudia Sassenrath1, Michael Barthelmäs1, Johanna Saur1
1Department of Social Psychology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
Cognition & Emotion
|October 1, 2020
Summary
Inducing empathy increases physiological arousal, specifically high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), linked to the parasympathetic nervous system. This study found no direct link between cardiovascular changes and self-reported prosocial behavior.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Physiology
Background:
- Empathy is a known trigger for prosocial emotions and social engagement.
- Parasympathetic mechanisms are theoretically linked to preparing for social engagement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how empathy influences cardiovascular reactivity.
- To examine the role of parasympathetic mechanisms in empathy-driven responses.
- To explore the relationship between empathy, cardiovascular activity, and prosocial behavior.
Main Methods:
- An experiment with 124 participants was conducted.
- Participants were instructed to empathize with a target person in need.
- Cardiovascular reactivity, specifically high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), was measured.
Main Results:
- Inducing empathy led to significant increases in HF-HRV.
- These increases occurred regardless of the target person's emotional reaction (anger or sadness).
- No correlation was found between cardiovascular measures and self-reported prosocial behavior.
Conclusions:
- Empathy induction influences phasic vagal activity, mediated by parasympathetic mechanisms.
- The direct association between cardiovascular reactivity and subsequent social engagement behavior requires further research.
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