latika
February 20th, 2004, 06:36 PM
The ability to appreciate other people's agony is achieved by the same parts of the brain that we use to experience pain for ourselves.
When we encounter a painful stimulus, such as an electric shock, signals travel from the site of the stimulus up to the brain. This is then translated into both a physical and an emotional response.
Tania Singer, an imaging neuroscientist at University College London, and her colleagues performed an experiment to see whether any parts of this process happens in the brains of people who aren't experiencing the pain themselves, but are simply empathizing with someone who is.
The study shows that empathy works by tapping into a brain mechanism that already exists for our own pain, says Singer. This makes us believe we are feeling pain emotionally even when we are not feeling it physically.
The emotional activity was stronger in some people than in others. The response seemed to be greater in those with a stronger emotional bond, says Singer. "It is very heavy for people who care," says Singer.
Want to read more about it-
http://www.nature.com/nsu/040216/040216-19.html
Latika
When we encounter a painful stimulus, such as an electric shock, signals travel from the site of the stimulus up to the brain. This is then translated into both a physical and an emotional response.
Tania Singer, an imaging neuroscientist at University College London, and her colleagues performed an experiment to see whether any parts of this process happens in the brains of people who aren't experiencing the pain themselves, but are simply empathizing with someone who is.
The study shows that empathy works by tapping into a brain mechanism that already exists for our own pain, says Singer. This makes us believe we are feeling pain emotionally even when we are not feeling it physically.
The emotional activity was stronger in some people than in others. The response seemed to be greater in those with a stronger emotional bond, says Singer. "It is very heavy for people who care," says Singer.
Want to read more about it-
http://www.nature.com/nsu/040216/040216-19.html
Latika