The DOI matches its Crossref record; 27 of the 27 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Unconscious affective processing and empathy: An investigation of subliminal priming on the detection of painful facial expressions
Abstract
Results from recent functional neuroimaging studies suggest that facial expressions of pain trigger empathic mimicry responses in the observer, in the sense of an activation in the pain matrix. However, pain itself also signals a potential threat in the environment and urges individuals to escape or avoid its source. This evolutionarily primitive aspect of pain processing, i.e., avoidance from the threat value of pain, seems to conflict with the emergence of empathic concern, i.e., a motivation to approach toward the other. The present study explored whether the affective values of targets influence the detection of pain at the unconscious level. We found that the detection of pain was facilitated by unconscious negative affective processing rather than by positive affective processing. This suggests that detection of pain is primarily influenced by its inherent threat value, and that empathy and empathic concern may not rely on a simple reflexive resonance as generally thought. The results of this study provide a deeper understanding of how fundamental the unconscious detection of pain is to the processes involved in the experience of empathy and sympathy.
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“Using signal detection analyses, they found that although the pain was more easily detected in dislikable than likable faces overall, lonely individuals were more sensitive (d’) to the presence of pain in dislikable faces than were nonlonely individuals.”
From Social isolation (2011) · cites this paper as [48]
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“Evidence from behavioral and fMRI studies suggest that social isolation increases attention to negative social stimuli (e.g., social threats) as well as increased motivation to reconnect.”
From Social isolation (2011) · cites this paper as [48]
Citations
Cites
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“On the other hand, the current models of empathy attach importance to the positive relationship between a target in pain and an observer [ 12 ], and would predict facilitated pain detection in faces primed with likable traits and impeded detection in faces primed with dislikable features.”
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Empathic neural responses are modulated by the perceived fairness of others
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“Compared to male participants, females often perform better in emotional tasks (e.g., [22]), and show more empathic brain responses to others’ emotions [4] and pain [5,19], even toward dislikable targets [ 27 ].”
BackgroundPain demands attention: A cognitive–affective model of the interruptive function of pain.
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The Neural Substrate of Human Empathy: Effects of Perspective-taking and Cognitive Appraisal
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“Compared to male participants, females often perform better in emotional tasks (e.g., [ 22 ]), and show more empathic brain responses to others’ emotions [4] and pain [5,19], even toward dislikable targets [27].”
BackgroundNeural systems for recognition of familiar faces
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Perceived social isolation and cognition
Cacioppo, J. T., & Hawkley, L. C. (2009) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2009.06.005 · Cited by 2,144
Shamay-Tsoory, S. G. (2011) · The Neuroscientist · doi:10.1177/1073858410379268 · Cited by 1,059
The neuroendocrinology of social isolation
Cacioppo, J. T., Cacioppo, S., Capitanio, J. P., & Cole, S. W. (2015) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010814-015240 · Cited by 977
Zaki, J. (2014) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/a0037679 · Cited by 923
Toward a neurology of loneliness
Cacioppo, S., Capitanio, J. P., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2014) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/a0037618 · Cited by 623
Metadata
- Authors
- Yamada, M., & Decety, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Chicago (US)
- ORCID
- Yamada, Makiko
- Venue
- Pain
- Published
- 2009-05
- Volume
- 143
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 71-75
- ISSN
- 0304-3959 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2085386756
- Cited by
- 199
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 15
- FWCI
- 23.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Pain (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
- Keywords
- subliminal priming, facial expressions of pain, empathy, empathic concern, pain matrix, emotional value, sympathy, approach-avoidance motivation
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Affect, Attention, Avoidance Learning, Cues, Empathy, Facial Expression, Female, Humans, Pain Measurement, Physical Examination, Sensitivity and Specificity, Subliminal Stimulation, Unconscious, Psychology
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