Until late last century, empathy remained an abstract concept confined to the realms of social science and philosophy. Studies in neuroscience have demonstrated that the brain can understand and share emotions of others without having the same experiences. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) coupled with self-assessment and tasks that allow evaluation of empathy has helped to map the areas of the brain that are recruited in response to others’ actions and emotions. Furthermore, progress in the neurobiology of empathy shows that facets of empathy can be trained by taking advantage of neuroplasticity. Understanding the neurobiological basis of empathy can inspire us to rewire ourselves for better patient care.
Trieu, M., Foster, A., Yaseen, Z., Beaubian, C., Calati, R. (2019). Neurobiology of empathy. In A.E. Foster, Z.S. Yaseen (a cura di), Teaching Empathy in Healthcare. Building a New Core Competency (pp. 17-39). Springer International Publishing [10.1007/978-3-030-29876-0_2].
Neurobiology of empathy
Calati, Raffaella
2019
Abstract
Until late last century, empathy remained an abstract concept confined to the realms of social science and philosophy. Studies in neuroscience have demonstrated that the brain can understand and share emotions of others without having the same experiences. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) coupled with self-assessment and tasks that allow evaluation of empathy has helped to map the areas of the brain that are recruited in response to others’ actions and emotions. Furthermore, progress in the neurobiology of empathy shows that facets of empathy can be trained by taking advantage of neuroplasticity. Understanding the neurobiological basis of empathy can inspire us to rewire ourselves for better patient care.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.