Empathic responses for pain in facial muscles are modulated by actor’s attractiveness and gender, and perspective taken by observer
Authors:
- Kamila Jankowiak-Siuda,
- Anna Duszyk,
- Aleksandra Dopierała,
- Krzysztof Bujwid,
- Krystyna Rymarczyk,
- Anna Grabowska
Abstract
Although empathy for pain is an often studied phenomenon, only few studies employing electromyography (EMG) have investigated either emotional responses to the pain of others or factors that modulate these responses. The present study investigated whether the sex and attractiveness of persons experiencing pain affected muscle activity associated with empathy for pain, the corrugator supercili (CS) and orbicularis oculi (OO) muscles, in male and female participants in two conditions: adopting a perspective of “the other” or “the self.” Fifty one participants (27 females) watched movies showing situations that included the expression of pain, with female and male and more and less attractive actors under both conditions, while the CS and OO EMG were recorded. Perspective did not affect CS muscle activity, but OO muscle activity tended to be higher in women than men under the imagine-self condition. CS muscle activity, but not OO muscle activity, was modulated by the actors’ gender and attractiveness. CS muscle activity was stronger in response to the pain of less attractive than more attractive actors, and to the pain of female actors compared to male actors. Moreover, a positive correlation was found between empathic concern, as a trait, and CS muscle activity, but only in the imagine-self condition
- Record ID
- SWPS2d7c6da42bc54d32b334b210bd0f8607
- Author
- Journal series
- Frontiers in Psychology, ISSN 1664-1078
- Issue year
- 2019
- Vol
- 10
- No
- 624
- Pages
- 1-11
- Publication size in sheets
- 0.50
- Keywords in English
- empathy, pain, attractiveness, perspective taking, gender
- ASJC Classification
- DOI
- DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00624 opening in a new tab
- URL
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00624/full opening in a new tab
- Language
- (en) English
- File
-
- File: 1
- Empathic Responses for Pain in Facial Muscles Are Modulated....pdf
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- Additional file
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- File: 1
- Oswiadczenie_K.Jankowiak_Empathic responses.pdf
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- File: 2
- Oswiadczenie_K.Krymarczyk_Empathic.pdf
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- File: 3
- Oswiadczenie_A.Grabowska_Empathic responses.pdf
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- File: 4
- Oswiadczenie_A.Dopierala_Empathic responses.pdf
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- File: 5
- Oswiadczenie_A.Duszyk_Empathic responses.pdf
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- Score (nominal)
- 70
- Score source
- journalList
- Publication indicators
- : 2016 = 1.006; : 2017 = 2.089 (2) - 2017=2.749 (5)
Share
- Uniform Resource Identifier
- http://bw.swps.edu.pl/info/article/SWPS2d7c6da42bc54d32b334b210bd0f8607/
* presented citation count is obtained through Internet information analysis and it is close to the number calculated by the Publish or Perishopening in a new tab system.