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“That hurts just to watch!” – That’s what many of us say when we see others suffering. Scientists at the University of Birmingham conducted a study to determine how much truth there is to this common saying. They showed videos of painful procedures to 100 test subjects. These included syringe injections and bone fractures.
Our ability to empathize allows us to participate in the pain of others
The researchers found that watching the videos triggered emotional reactions in all participants. However, for a third of the participants, the experience went so far as to cause physical reactions. These were described by the participants as tingling or stinging. The participants actually felt these physical reactions at the point where the pain was induced in the video.
As part of the study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed on the participants. This procedure makes it possible to visualize changes in the blood flow of brain areas that can be traced back to metabolic processes that are in turn related to neuronal activity. It was clearly shown that the brain area responsible for compassion was stimulated in all test subjects.
Particularly emphatic subjects even felt – minor – pain
The somatosensory cortex of the brain was also more active in those who showed physical reactions during the videos. This area of the brain is responsible for processing sensations such as touch and pain. This means that thanks to the human ability to empathize, it is indeed possible to feel pain by “just watching”.
