title: Oxytocin increases empathy to pain when adopting the other- but not the self-perspective.
abstract: There is growing evidence that the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) facilitates various forms of sensitivity to others, but the mechanism by which OT enhances empathy in humans is unclear. In this study, we examined whether OT increases empathy by the way of blurring the distinction between self and other, or by enhancing the difference between self and other. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject crossover design, empathic responses of healthy participants were compared when imagining oneself (i.e., self-perspective empathy) versus when imagining the other (i.e., other-perspective empathy) in painful and nonpainful situations. Under OT treatment, participants expressed more empathy when imagining others than when imagining oneself in pain. This was in contrast to the placebo condition where there were no differences between the empathic responses during the self- and the other-perspective. We propose that the modulatory effect of OT on empathy when taking the other-perspective may be mediated by its role in self- and other-distinctiveness and corollary by its role in increasing salience to social agents and cues.
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychology , University of Birmingham , Birmingham , UK.
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abu-Akel
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Palgi
authors.forename: Ehud
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Decety
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shamay-Tsoory
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004645:Empathy / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D012649:Self Concept; D012919:Social Behavior
chemical_list: D010121:Oxytocin
keywords: Empathy; Oxytocin; Pain; Perspective-taking; Self and other