The DOI matches its Crossref record; 73 of the 73 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Effects of oxytocin and prosocial behavior on brain responses to direct and vicariously experienced pain.
Open accessAbstract
In this study, we tested the validity of 2 popular assumptions about empathy: (a) empathy can be enhanced by oxytocin, a neuropeptide known to be crucial in affiliative behavior, and (b) individual differences in prosocial behavior are positively associated with empathic brain responses. To do so, we measured brain activity in a double-blind placebo-controlled study of 20 male participants either receiving painful stimulation to their own hand (self condition) or observing their female partner receiving painful stimulation to her hand (other condition). Prosocial behavior was measured using a monetary economic interaction game with which participants classified as prosocial (N = 12) or selfish (N = 6), depending on whether they cooperated with another player. Empathy-relevant brain activation (anterior insula) was neither enhanced by oxytocin nor positively associated with prosocial behavior. However, oxytocin reduced amygdala activation when participants received painful stimulation themselves (in the nonsocial condition). Surprisingly, this effect was driven by "selfish" participants. The results suggest that selfish individuals may not be as rational and unemotional as usually suggested, their actions being determined by their feeling anxious rather than by reason.
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In the citing paper
“To our knowledge, there is little neuroimaging work in females focusing on oxytocin and its influence on neural systems for pain processing, as most published work is exclusively on males and/or is focused on empathy for pain.54, 55, 56, 57”
From Intranasal oxytocin enhances intrinsic corticostriatal functional connectivity in women (2017) · cites this paper as [54]
In the citing paper
“Singer and colleagues (2008) found that OXT OXYTOCIN, EMPATHY AND EYE-GAZE 5 neither enhanced subjective empathy nor increased activation in empathy-relevant brain areas such as the anterior insula (AI) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).”
From Oxytocin increases attention to the eyes and selectively enhances self-reported affective empathy for fear (2017) · cites this paper as Singer et al. (2008)
In the citing paper
“neuroimaging evidence suggests that the administration of OXT inhibits amygdala activation (Domes et al., 2007b;Kirsch et al., 2005;Singer et al., 2008)”
From Oxytocin increases attention to the eyes and selectively enhances self-reported affective empathy for fear (2017) · cites this paper as Singer et al., 2008
In the citing paper
“Most reports have not demonstrated any specific antinociceptive properties for oxytocin 23, 24, 25, including a phase 1 open‐label trial using intrathecal administration 26.”
From The Analgesic Effect of Oxytocin in Humans: A Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Cross‐Over Study Using Laser‐Evoked Potentials (2016) · cites this paper as [25]
In the citing paper
“However, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled studies have produced mixed results.”
From The Analgesic Effect of Oxytocin in Humans: A Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Cross‐Over Study Using Laser‐Evoked Potentials (2016) · cites this paper as [25]
In the citing paper
“Experimental studies on healthy volunteers using acute noxious electrical, contact heat and cold‐pressor stimuli have produced further conflicting results.”
From The Analgesic Effect of Oxytocin in Humans: A Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Cross‐Over Study Using Laser‐Evoked Potentials (2016) · cites this paper as [25]
In the citing paper
“In addition, intranasal oxytocin also dampened the central fear response by lowering amygdala activity [44-46] and potentially enhancing fear regulation by increasing top-down control of the prefrontal cortex over the amygdala [47].”
From Efficacy of oxytocin administration early after psychotrauma in preventing the development of PTSD: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial (2014) · cites this paper as [46]
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Citations
Cites
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Trust, Reciprocity, and Social History
Berg, J., Dickhaut, J., & McCabe, K. (1995) · Games and Economic Behavior · doi:10.1006/game.1995.1027 · Cited by 5,548
Empathy: its ultimate and proximate bases
Preston, S. D., & de Waal, F. B. M. (2002) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x02000018 · Cited by 4,126
Empathy for Pain Involves the Affective but not Sensory Components of Pain
Singer, T., Seymour, B., O'Doherty, J., Kaube, H., Dolan, R. J., & Frith, C. D. (2004) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1093535 · Cited by 3,929
Self-citationOxytocin increases trust in humans
Kosfeld, M., Heinrichs, M., Zak, P. J., Fischbacher, U., & Fehr, E. (2005) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature03701 · Cited by 3,690
Self-citationFehr, E., & Fischbacher, U. (2003) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature02043 · Cited by 3,475 · cited 2×
“Prosocial behavior, or altruism, is then defined as costly acts that increase another person’s benefits (Fehr & Fischbacher, 2003).”
BackgroundThe functional architecture of human empathy
Decety, J., & Jackson, P. L. (2004) · Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Reviews · doi:10.1177/1534582304267187 · Cited by 3,407 · cited 2×
“Theoretical conceptualizations of empathy (Decety & Jackson, 2004; Decety & Lamm, 2006; de Vignemont & Singer, 2006; Gallese, 2003; Preston & de Waal, 2002) suggest that we understand other people’s affective states via activation of neural networks usually involved in processing our own affective…”
BackgroundEtkin, A., & Wager, T. D. (2007) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.07030504 · Cited by 3,391 · cited 2×
“A recent meta-analysis shows that patients with different anxiety disorders have heightened activity in the amygdala (Etkin & Wager, 2007).”
BackgroundProsocial Behavior: Multilevel Perspectives
Penner., L. A., Dovidio., J. F., Piliavin., J. A., & Schroeder., D. A. (2005) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.56.091103.070141 · Cited by 2,308
Falk, J. L. (1973) · Contemporary Psychology · doi:10.1037/0011818 · Cited by 2,288
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Lamm, C., Decety, J., & Singer, T. (2011) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.10.014 · Cited by 2,016
Self-citationOxytocin and vasopressin in the human brain: social neuropeptides for translational medicine
Meyer-Lindenberg, A., Domes, G., Kirsch, P., & Heinrichs, M. (2011) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn3044 · Cited by 1,688
Self-citationSocial effects of oxytocin in humans: context and person matter
Bartz, J. A., Zaki, J., Bolger, N., & Ochsner, K. N. (2011) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2011.05.002 · Cited by 1,581
Having less, giving more: The influence of social class on prosocial behavior.
Piff, P. K., Kraus, M. W., Côté, S., Cheng, B. H., & Keltner, D. (2010) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0020092 · Cited by 1,478
A common role of insula in feelings, empathy and uncertainty
Singer, T., Critchley, H. D., & Preuschoff, K. (2009) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2009.05.001 · Cited by 1,270
Self-citation
Metadata
- Authors
- Singer, T., Snozzi, R., Bird, G., Petrovic, P., Silani, G., Heinrichs, M., & Dolan, R. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Zurich (CH)
- University College London (GB)
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (GB)
- Venue
- Emotion
- Published
- 2008-12
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 781-791
- ISSN
- 1528-3542 (ISSN-L)
- 1931-1516
- PMC
- PMC2672051
- OpenAlex
- W2097146434
- Cited by
- 248
- References
- 73
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 24 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 25 · 2012: 19
- FWCI
- 17.39
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Emotion (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Bank (Australian Catholic University) (submittedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion)
- FreiDok plus (Universitätsbibliothek Freiburg) (submittedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
- MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- oxytocin, empathy, prosocial behavior, vicarious pain, anterior insula, amygdala, individual differences, selfishness, cooperation, anxiety, pain perception
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Amygdala, Attitude to Health, Double-Blind Method, Electrodes, Hand, Humans, Male, Oxytocics, Oxytocin, Pain, Surveys and Questionnaires, Social Behavior, Young Adult
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