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News in story form may increase empathy
PENN STATE (US) — How the news media tell a story may make the audience more compassionate and willing to act and help others. According to Penn State researchers, news reports can boost empathy toward...
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Human brain sizes up harmful acts instantly
U. CHICAGO (US) — People are able to detect, within a split second, if a hurtful action they are witnessing is intentional or accidental.New research on the brain at the University of Chicago is the...
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We tolerate pain better when doctors listen
MICHIGAN STATE (US) — When a doctor shows empathy for patients, it can change the way the brain responds to stress and pain.In a recent study, researchers randomly assigned patients to one of two types...
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Empathy ups brain response to atypical bodies
USC (US) — When we watch people who have different bodies perform tasks, our brains work hard to understand. According to the study’s lead author, the finding supports initiatives to include more...
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Disasters put kids’ altruism to the test
U. CHICAGO (US) / U. TORONTO (CAN) — Natural disasters prompt older children to be more giving, but have the opposite effect on younger kids, who tend to become more selfish.The finding was discovered...
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Virtual superpowers prompt real kindness
STANFORD (US) — Given virtual superpowers, people respond with more altruism in the real world, a new experiment shows. While several studies have shown that playing violent videogames can encourage...
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Empathy peaks among women in their 50s
U. MICHIGAN (US) — If you need a shoulder to cry on, a woman in her 50s may be your best bet, according to new research.According to a study of more than 75,000 adults, women in their 50s are more...
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Young bonobos comfort friends in need
EMORY (US) — Like humans, bonobos show signs of empathy and the desire to console family and friends early in life.Researchers from the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University...
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Heart beats sync up in romantic couples
UC DAVIS (US) — When people are in love, their hearts actually beat for each other, or at least at the same rate, according to new research. Emilio Ferrer, a psychology professor at University of...
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Being good earns no mercy from ‘mean’ babies
YALE (US) — For babies, sharing their preferences trumps bad behavior when it comes to doling out punishment, new research shows.Babies, like adults, prefer individuals who like the same things they...
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Doctors less empathetic for obese patients
JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — Physicians build much less of an emotional rapport with overweight and obese patients than with patients of normal weight, a study suggests.The study was small—involving 39 primary...
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Psychopaths not wired for empathy
U. CHICAGO (US) — Psychopaths show less activity in areas of the brain linked to empathy when they view images of people in distress, a study shows.Psychopathy affects approximately 1 percent of the...
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Mind-body class helps med students cope
BOSTON U. (US) — A new class for medical students may increase their self-compassion and ability to manage thoughts and tasks more effectively, according to new research. The study, published in...
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‘You complete me’ may be sappy but true
U. VIRGINIA (US) — We are hardwired to feel empathy because we closely associate people who are dear to us—friends, spouses, lovers—with our very selves, brain scans show. “With familiarity, other...
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Brain ‘tunes in’ when our enemies suffer
Seeing hateful people in pain more strongly actives the part of the brain linked to empathy than the suffering of likable people does, a new study shows. While one might assume that we would empathize...
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If we envy others, we smirk when they suffer
When researchers measured the electrical activity of cheek muscles, they found that people smile more when someone they envy experiences misfortune or pain. The findings suggest that people are...
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Video game kindness may make kids nicer
When children are exposed to helpful and caring behaviors through video games, television shows, and movies, they are more likely to act that way in the real world, regardless of culture, new research...
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What do compassionate doctors say?
“Good to see you. I’m sorry. It sounds like you’ve had a tough, tough, week.” Spoken by a doctor to a cancer patient, that statement is an example of compassionate behavior. The researchers believe...
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Rats will help a stranger if they recognize his ‘type’
Rats will help a stranger in distress, but only if they have had prior social experience with the type of the unfamiliar individual. Empathy-driven behavior has been observed in rats who will free...
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Distressed elephants get ‘hugs’ from pals
Asian elephants will physically touch and make noises to comfort fellow elephants in distress, a new study shows. The findings are the first empirical evidence of consolation in elephants, says lead...
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