The surprising empathic abilities of rodents.
Many believe empathy and related pro-social behaviors to be the sole province of humans. The evolutionary antecedents of such phenomena, however, have been observed in lower mammals. By demonstrating empathy-based helping behavior in rats, a recently published study has provided clear-cut evidence that pro-social behaviors are not limited to humans.
Department of Psychology and Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada. jeffrey.mogil@mcgill.ca
Jeffrey S
JS
Mogil
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D004645:Empathy; D006379:Helping Behavior; D051381:Rats; D012377:Rodentia / Q000523:psychology*; D012919:Social Behavior