Neural mechanisms underlying prosocial behaviors caused by empathy
| Project/Area Number |
23700505
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Research Field |
Fusional social brain science
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| Research Institution | National Institute for Physiological Sciences |
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Principal Investigator |
KAWAMICHI Hiroaki 生理学研究所, 大脳皮質機能研究系, 特任助教 (30596391)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2011 – 2012
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 2012)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥4,420,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,020,000)
Fiscal Year 2012: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000)
Fiscal Year 2011: ¥3,380,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥780,000)
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| Keywords | 脳・神経 / 動機付け / 共感 / 向社会行動 / 共感的喜び / fMRI / 動因 / 温情効果 |
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| Research Abstract |
Prosocial behaviors and empathy play essential roles for constructing human modern society. We conducted two experiments using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure brain activity in terms of relationship between empathy and prosocial behaviors. As a result of the first experiment, we found activity in reward system (dorsal striatum) during prosocial behaviors with being enhanced by empathic traits. Thus, we concluded that empathizing with others’ future pleasantness caused by receiving prosocial behaviors, i.e., empathic joy, might invoke prosocial behaviors (Kawamichi et al., 2013). As a result of the second experiment, we found that striatal activation during viewing painful picture was caused by joining hands with familiar person. This result suggested that joining hands with familiar person might be perceived as reward and might modulate empathic pain. With these two experiments, empathy might act as motivation of prosocial behaviors and might be modulated by affiliative behaviors.
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Report
(3 results)
Research Products
(15 results)
