Neural mechanisms underlying helping behaviors motivated by empathic joy

• Project/Area Number: 25750407
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Basic / Social brain science
• Research Institution: Tokyo Metropolitan University (2014-2015); National Institute for Physiological Sciences (2013)
• Principal Investigator: Kawamichi Hiroaki 首都大学東京, 人間健康科学研究科, 客員研究員 (30596391)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2015)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,160,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥960,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥2,860,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥660,000)
• Keywords: 共感 / 援助 / fMRI / 報酬系 / 社会的交流 / 援助行動 / 傾聴 / 線条体 / 社会行動 / 協調行動

Outline of Final Research Achievements

High sociality contributes to helping behavior. One of major motives for helping behavior is empathic joy, empathizing with anticipated joy of help recipient. We conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments to investigate neural correlates underlying helping behaviors motivated by empathic joy. As a result, we found activity in reward system (dorsal striatum) during helping behaviors with alleviating aversive arousal response in anterior cingulate cortex. Furthermore, we showed empathic social behavior is perceived as reward and alleviates visual cortex activation in response to aversive stimuli. This result suggested that interrelationship between empathic joy and pain motivates helping behavior and such kind of social behavior is effective for recipients.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Helping behavior induced by empathetic concern attenuates anterior cingulate activation in response to others’ distress. (2016)
  • Author(s): Kawamichi H, Yoshihara K, Sugawara SK, Matsunaga M, Makita K, Hamano YH, Tanabe HC, Sadato N
  • Journal Title: Social Neuroscience Volume: 11 Issue: 2 Pages: 109-122
  • DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2015.1049709
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Increased frequency of social interaction is associated with enjoyment and reward system activation (2016)
  • Author(s): Hiroaki Kawamichi, Sho K. Sugawara, Yuki H. Hamano, Kai Makita, Takanori Kochiyama, and Sadato N
  • Journal Title: Scientific Reports Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Pages: 1-11
  • DOI: 10.1038/srep24561
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] Perceiving active listening activates the reward system and improves the impression of relevant experiences. (2015)
  • Author(s): Kawamichi H, Yoshihara K, Sasaki AT, Sugawara SK, Tanabe HC, Shinohara R, Sugisawa Y, Tokutake K, Mochizuki Y, Anme T, Sadato N
  • Journal Title: Soc. Neurosci. Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Pages: 16-26
  • DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2014.954732
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] Interpersonal touch suppresses visual processing of aversive stimuli. (2015)
  • Author(s): Kawamichi H, Kitada R, Yoshihara K, Takahashi H and Sadato N
  • Journal Title: Front. Hum. Neurosci. Volume: 9 Pages: 164-164
  • DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00164
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Medial prefrontal cortex activation is commonly invoked by reputation of self and romantic partners. (2013)
  • Author(s): Kawamichi H, Sasaki AT, Matsunaga M, Yoshihara K, Takahashi HK, Tanabe HC, Sadato N
  • Journal Title: PLoS One Volume: 8 Issue: 9 Pages: e74958-e74958
  • DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074958
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] 傾聴によるエピソードの印象改善に伴う腹側線条体・右前部島の賦活 (2014)
  • Author(s): 川道拓東，菅原翔，吉原一文，佐々木章宏，田邊宏樹，定藤規弘
  • Organizer: 第4回社会神経科学研究会
  • Place of Presentation: 岡崎コンファレンスセンター（愛知、岡崎）
  • Year and Date: 2014-10-30
• [Presentation] 社会的行動のニューロサイエンス的考察 (2014)
  • Author(s): 川道拓東
  • Organizer: 群馬麻酔科サイエンスセミナー
  • Place of Presentation: ホテルサンダーソン（群馬、前橋）
  • Year and Date: 2014-04-18
  • Invited
• [Presentation] utation representation in medial prefrontal cortex is modulated by familiarity (2013)
  • Author(s): Kawamichi H, Sasaki AT, Matsunaga M, Yoshihara K, Takahashi HK, Tanabe HC, Sadato N
  • Organizer: The 36th Annual Meeting of the Japan Neuroscience Society
  • Place of Presentation: Kyoto International Conference Center(Kyoto, Japan)