Empathy toward Strangers Triggers Oxytocin Release and Subsequent Generosity
Empathy toward Strangers Triggers Oxytocin Release and Subsequent Generosity
复制标题
DOI：
10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04504.x
复制
发表时间：
2009-01-01
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Zak, Paul J.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Barraza, Jorge. A.;Zak, Paul J.
共情与多种亲社会行为有关，但产生共情体验的大脑机制尚未完全表征。这项研究调查了同情的经历是否会提高催产素水平，并影响随后对陌生人的慷慨。短视频剪辑的情感场景和非情感场景被用作刺激。参与者对他们所经历的情绪进行评级，然后玩一个40美元的最后通牒游戏来衡量他们的慷慨程度。我们发现同理心与催产素从基线增加47%有关。我们还发现，女性的移情-催产素反应比男性更强。在最后通牒游戏中，更高水平的同理心也与对陌生人更慷慨的金钱提议有关。我们的研究结果首次证明了催产素是同理心的生理标志，同理心可以调节慷慨。
Empathy is related to a variety of prosocial behaviors, but the brain mechanisms producing the experience of empathy have not been fully characterized. This study investigated whether the experience of empathy raises oxytocin levels and affects subsequent generosity toward strangers. Short video clips of an emotional scene and an unemotional scene were used as stimuli. Participants rated the emotions they experienced and then played a $40 ultimatum game to gauge their generosity. We found that empathy was associated with a 47% increase in oxytocin from baseline. We also found the empathy-oxytocin response was stronger in women than in men. Higher levels of empathy were also associated with more generous monetary offers toward strangers in the ultimatum game. Our findings provide the first evidence that oxytocin is a physiologic signature for empathy and that empathy mediates generosity.