The empathic brain: how, when and why?

Trends in Cognitive Sciences 10 (10):435-441 (2006)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Recent imaging results suggest that individuals automatically share the emotions of others when exposed to their emotions. We question the assumption of the automaticity and propose a contextual approach, suggesting several modulatory factors that might influence empathic brain responses. Contextual appraisal could occur early in emotional cue evaluation, which then might or might not lead to an empathic brain response, or not until after an empathic brain response is automatically elicited. We propose two major roles for empathy; its epistemological role is to provide information about the future actions of other people, and important environmental properties. Its social role is to serve as the origin of the motivation for cooperative and prosocial behavior, as well as help for effective social communication.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,616

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Gods are more flexible than resolutions.George Ainslie - 2004 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 27 (6):730-731.
Empathic access: The missing ingredient in personal identity.Marya Schechtman - 2001 - Philosophical Explorations 4 (2):95 – 111.
How many representations of the body?Frédérique de Vignemont - 2007 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 30 (2):204-205.
Empathic listening: The interviewer's betrayal.Sandra L. Borden - 1993 - Journal of Mass Media Ethics 8 (4):219 – 226.
Depth psychology, death and the hermeneutic of empathy.George B. Hogenson - 1981 - Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 6 (1):67-90.

Analytics

Added to PP
2013-10-31

Downloads
416 (#43,139)

6 months
14 (#114,812)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author Profiles

Citations of this work

Participatory sense-making: An enactive approach to social cognition.Hanne De Jaegher & Ezequiel Di Paolo - 2007 - Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 6 (4):485-507.
On Direct Social Perception.Shannon Spaulding - 2015 - Consciousness and Cognition 36:472-482.
Empathy, Simulation, and Narrative.Shaun Gallagher - 2012 - Science in Context 25 (3):355-381.

View all 139 citations / Add more citations

References found in this work

Empathy: Its ultimate and proximate bases.Stephanie D. Preston & Frans B. M. de Waal - 2001 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 25 (1):1-20.
Empathy, Mind, and Morals.Alvin I. Goldman - 1992 - Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association 66 (3):17-41.
Autism, empathy and moral agency.Jeanette Kennett - 2002 - Philosophical Quarterly 52 (208):340-357.
Knowledge, Possibility, and Consciousness.John Perry - 2001 - Philosophy 77 (301):457-461.

View all 18 references / Add more references