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Brain slow to feel compassion
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While a person’s wince reaction (the immediate response to a story of physical pain) is almost instantaneous, the brain takes much longer to feel strong compassion about stories of psychological or social pain. However, once the brain does catch up, those feelings leave a much longer lasting impression.
By imaging the brain’s response to various true stories of physical or psychological pain, scientists at University of Southern California (USC) found that “the brain took 6 to 8 seconds to respond to stories about social or psychological pain — a very long time considering that neurons fire within milliseconds.” [LiveScience] While the response to pain dissipates almost as quickly as it appears, the cortex (the part of the brain being studied that is responsible for a whole range of things such as memory and awareness) remains active for a far longer time, perhaps reflecting the complex thought process needed for evaluating compassion-inducing situations.
What is perhaps even more interesting is the specific part of the brain that was activated. When monitoring responses, Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, author on the study, found that “physical situations activated brain systems relating to musculoskeletal control, while emotions about social or psychological situations activated the gut-related area.” [LiveScience] Perhaps this can explain why, in response of physical pain, the most common reaction is to wince. But social and psychological pain can induce a more impactful response such as nausea or general unease that seems to build in the chest.
"It's almost as if we have a body in which to play out feelings about other people's situations, but that body is subdivided between the musculoskeletal system and the gut," Immordino-Yang noted. [LiveScience]
Another angle of this report, first published by EurekAlert, investigates the impact of lightening media on a human’s ability to evoke the “noble emotions,” such as compassion and admiration. In short summary: Investigators are concerned whether fast-paced news (like rapid-fire Twitter messages) might be exacting an abnormal emotional toll, especially on developing brains, due to how long it truly takes for the human brain to process certain emotions. "If things are happening too fast, you may not ever fully experience emotions about other people's psychological states and that would have implications for your morality," Immordino- Yang said. [EurekAlert]
From an evolutionary stand-point, this is the first study to show that these emotions are deeply engrained within our physiology. And researches seem concerned that younger generations may not learn how to properly connect emotionally, under-developing certain parts of the brain. Manuel Castells, a media scholar at USC, stated: "In a media culture in which violence and suffering becomes an endless show, be it in fiction or in infotainment, indifference to the vision of human suffering gradually sets in.” [EurekAlert] And it can be even worse if it is happening at such a fast pace that the brain has no chance to respond with compassionate emotions.
This is the first study of its kind to focus on the “noble emotions” as opposed to fear response. It will be published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
More psychology stories: Drug used to battle alcoholism helps curb kleptomania * Finding the neurological basis of dyslexia * Are we addicted to salt? * More
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