Giving peace a chance: oxytocin increases empathy to pain in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Abstract
Studies have argued that empathy to the pain of out-group members is largely diminished by "in-group empathy bias". Investigating the mechanism underlying the emotional reactions of Jewish Israeli participants toward the pain experienced by Palestinians in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict affords a natural experiment that allows us to examine the role of neurohormones in emotion sensitivity across conflicting social groups. In a double-blind placebo-controlled within-subject crossover design, Israeli Jewish participants were asked to report their empathy to the pain of in-group (Jewish), neutral out-group (European), and adversary out-group (Palestinian) members. Oxytocin remarkably increased empathy to the pain of Palestinians, attenuating the effect of in-group empathy bias observed under the placebo condition. This effect, we argue, is driven by the general role of oxytocin in increasing the salience of social agents which, in turn, may interfere with processes pertaining to derogation of out-group members during intractable conflicts.
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Two studies found oxytocin had no main effect on pain ratings but increased ratings depending on perspective or nationality.
“two studies using subjective ratings of responses to painful stimuli found that OXT did not have a main effect on pain ratings, but did increase ratings as a function of the perspective (self vs. other) participants were asked to take, or the nationality of the person with whom to empathize (Abu-Akel, Palgi, Klein, Decety & Shamay-Tsoory 2015;Shamay-Tsoory et al., 2013).”
From Oxytocin increases attention to the eyes and selectively enhances self-reported affective empathy for fear (2017) · cites this paper as Shamay-Tsoory et al., 2013
In some studies oxytocin only increases positive perceptions or social motivations toward others, and in other studies it also amplifies pre-existing social motivations or perceptions, whether positive or negative.
“Finally, in some studies oxytocin only increases positive perceptions or social motivations toward others (Chang et al., 2012; Shamay-Tsoory et al., 2013) and in other studies it also amplifies pre-existing social motivations or perceptions, whether positive or negative (De Dreu, 2012).”
From Endogenous peripheral oxytocin measures can give insight into the dynamics of social relationships: a review (2014) · cites this paper as Shamay-Tsoory et al., 2013
For Israeli Jewish subjects, inhaled oxytocin increased empathy toward potential out-group (Palestinian Arab) members but not to potential in-group members where empathy levels were already high.
“Furthermore, using an in-group vs. out-group paradigm, Shamay-Tsoory et al. (2013) showed that for Israeli Jewish subjects, inhaled oxytocin increased empathy toward potential out-group (Palestinian Arab) members but not to potential in-group members where empathy levels were already high.”
From Endogenous peripheral oxytocin measures can give insight into the dynamics of social relationships: a review (2014) · cites this paper as Shamay-Tsoory et al., 2013
Under some circumstances, administered oxytocin may alter the valence of out-group perception from negative to more positive.
“A notable exception comes from Shamay-Tsoory et al. (2013) showing that under some circumstances administered oxytocin may alter the valence of out-group perception from negative to more positive.”
From Endogenous peripheral oxytocin measures can give insight into the dynamics of social relationships: a review (2014) · cites this paper as Shamay-Tsoory et al., 2013
IN-OT can enhance empathy in Israeli Jewish participants toward the pain of Palestinians, reducing the effect of in-group empathy bias observed in the placebo.
“IN-OT can also enhance empathy in Israeli Jewish participants toward the pain of Palestinians, reducing the effect of in-group empathy bias observed in the placebo (Shamay-Tsoory et al. 2013).”
From A precision medicine approach to oxytocin trials (2017) · cites this paper as Shamay-Tsoory et al. 2013
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RetractedOxytocin reduces interoceptive influences on empathy-for-pain in the anterior insulaPreprint
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- Authors
- Shamay-Tsoory, S. G., Abu-Akel, A., Palgi, S., Sulieman, R., Fischer-Shofty, M., Levkovitz, Y., & Decety, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Birmingham (GB)
- University of Haifa (IL)
- Shalvata Mental Health Center (IL)
- Corresponding author
- Abu-Akel, Ahmad
- ORCID
- Abu-Akel, Ahmad
- Venue
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2013-12
- Volume
- 38
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 3139-3144
- ISSN
- 0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2101165690
- Cited by
- 123
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 10
- FWCI
- 15.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Binational Science Foundation (BSF)
- John Templeton Foundation
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Keywords
- oxytocin, outgroup derogation, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, intergroup conflict, neurohormones, social salience
- MeSH terms
- Administration, Intranasal, Adult, Analysis of Variance, Double-Blind Method, Empathy, Female, Humans, Israel, Jews, Male, Middle Aged, Oxytocin, Pain, Pain Measurement, Sex Characteristics, Violence, Warfare, Cross-Over Studies, Arabs, Young Adult
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