Mammalian empathy: behavioural manifestations and neural basis

de Waal, Frans B. M.; Preston, Stephanie D.

doi:10.1038/nrn.2017.72

Cited by 958Primate Behavior and EcologyAction Observation and SynchronizationChild and Animal Learning Development

Mammalian empathy: behavioural manifestations and neural basis

de Waal, Frans B. M., Preston, Stephanie D.·2017·Nature Reviews Neuroscience

DOI 10.1038/nrn.2017.72

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Abstract

Recent research on empathy in humans and other mammals seeks to dissociate emotional and cognitive empathy. These forms, however, remain interconnected in evolution, across species and at the level of neural mechanisms. New data have facilitated the development of empathy models such as the perception-action model (PAM) and mirror-neuron theories. According to the PAM, the emotional states of others are understood through personal, embodied representations that allow empathy and accuracy to increase based on the observer's past experiences. In this Review, we discuss the latest evidence from studies carried out across a wide range of species, including studies on yawn contagion, consolation, aid-giving and contagious physiological affect, and we summarize neuroscientific data on representations related to another's state.

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From Insular cortex mediates approach and avoidance responses to social affective stimuli (2018) · cites this paper as [24]

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Canine Reconciliation and Third‐Party‐Initiated Postconflict Affiliation: Do Peacemaking Social Mechanisms in Dogs Rival Those of Higher Primates?
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Development of socio-emotional competence in bonobos
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From painkiller to empathy killer: acetaminophen (paracetamol) reduces empathy for pain
Mischkowski, D., Crocker, J., & Way, B. M. (2016) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nsw057 · Cited by 148 · see citing works
The Sight of Others' Pain Modulates Motor Processing in Human Cingulate Cortex
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Familiarity Bias and Physiological Responses in Contagious Yawning by Dogs Support Link to Empathy
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Anxiolytic Treatment Impairs Helping Behavior in Rats
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Asian elephants ( <i>Elephas maximus</i> ) reassure others in distress
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Social approach to pain in laboratory mice
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Stress leads to prosocial action in immediate need situations
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Self‐other resonance, its control and prosocial inclinations: Brain–behavior relationships
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Pro-sociality without empathy
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How specific are emotional deficits? A comparison of empathic abilities in schizophrenia, bipolar and depressed patients
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Organization of felt and seen pain responses in anterior cingulate cortex
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The Lost Self
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Ants, Cataglyphis cursor, Use Precisely Directed Rescue Behavior to Free Entrapped Relatives
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Neural, cognitive, and evolutionary foundations of human altruism
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Behavioral and mechanistic insight into rodent empathy
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Reduction of Empathy for Pain by Placebo Analgesia Suggests Functional Equivalence of Empathy and First-Hand Emotion Experience
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Rapid Facial Mimicry In Geladas
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The role of automaticity and attention in neural processes underlying empathy for happiness, sadness, and anxiety
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A Chemical Releaser of Alarm and Digging Behavior in the Ant Pogonomyrmex Badius (Latreille)
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Chimpanzee Politics
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Auditory contagious yawning in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris): first evidence for social modulation
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Synchrony and motor mimicking in chimpanzee observational learning
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Shock to a conspecific as an aversive stimulus
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In-Group Conformity Sustains Different Foraging Traditions in Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus apella)
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Exploring the evolutionary foundations of empathy: consolation in monkeys
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Experimental evidence of contagious yawning in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus)
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BABY EMPATHY: INFANT DISTRESS AND PEER PROSOCIAL RESPONSES
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Rudimentary empathy in macaques’ social decision-making
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Autism—“Autos”: Literally, a Total Focus on the Self?
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Infant chimpanzee and human child
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Relevance of Facial Expression and Posture as Cues in Communication of Affect Between Monkeys
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Extrinsic rewards undermine altruistic tendencies in 20-month-olds.
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Food-related tolerance in capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) varies with knowledge of the partner’s previous food-consumption
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Devil in the Details: Effects of Depression on the Prosocial Response Depend on Timing and Similarity
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Toward a hierarchical model of social cognition: A neuroimaging meta-analysis and integrative review of empathy and theory of mind.
Schurz, M., Raduà, J., Tholen, M. G., Maliske, L., Margulies, D. S., Mars, R. B., Sallet, J., & Kanske, P. (2020) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/bul0000303 · Cited by 642 · see citing works
“The Russian doll model, for instance, proposes that the core functions of motor mimicry and emotional contagion are embedded in several layers of more complex processes, ranging up to perspective taking (De Waal, 2007; De Waal & Preston, 2017).”
BackgroundMethod
Social Media and Well-Being: Pitfalls, Progress, and Next Steps
Kross, E., Verduyn, P., Sheppes, G., Costello, C. K., Jonides, J., & Ybarra, O. (2021) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2020.10.005 · Cited by 474 · see citing works
The neural mechanisms and circuitry of the pair bond
Walum, H., & Young, L. J. (2018) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/s41583-018-0072-6 · Cited by 353 · see citing works
Anterior cingulate inputs to nucleus accumbens control the social transfer of pain and analgesia
Smith, M. L., Asada, N., & Malenka, R. C. (2021) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.abe3040 · Cited by 368 · see citing works
Mirror neurons 30 years later: implications and applications
Bonini, L., Rotunno, C., Arcuri, E., & Gallese, V. (2022) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2022.06.003 · Cited by 332 · see citing works
“Together, these findings indicate that mimicry reflects a global sensorimotor simulation of others’ emotions rather than a mere muscle-specific resonance, bolstering the idea that affective empathy [77] hinges on the capacity of social stimuli to trigger visceromotor, not simply somatomotor, actions in the observer [7…”
Insular cortex mediates approach and avoidance responses to social affective stimuli
Rogers-Carter, M. M., Varela, J. A., Gribbons, K. B., Pierce, A. F., McGoey, M. T., Ritchey, M., & Christianson, J. P. (2018) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/s41593-018-0071-y · Cited by 277 · see citing works
The neural and computational systems of social learning
Olsson, A., Knapska, E., & Lindström, B. (2020) · Nature reviews. Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/s41583-020-0276-4 · Cited by 267 · see citing works
“Similar responses in humans 99 and other primates 100,101 suggest that a demonstrator’s emotional expression of, for example, pain might itself serve as a vicarious reinforcer, a US, imbuing neutral stimuli with value and motivating actions.”
Background
Integrating Empathy and Interpersonal Emotion Regulation
Zaki, J. (2019) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010419-050830 · Cited by 273 · see citing works
“Clinicians who do use it are prone to cautious delivery of exposure—for instance, refraining from using highly anxiety-provoking stimuli, terminating exposure tasks early, or interweaving anxiety-reduction exercises into those tasks (Deacon et al. 2013).”
Background
Toward a consensus on the nature of empathy: A review of reviews
Eklund, J. H., & Meranius, M. S. (2020) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/j.pec.2020.08.022 · Cited by 253 · see citing works
Emotional Mirror Neurons in the Rat’s Anterior Cingulate Cortex
Carrillo, M., Han, Y., Migliorati, F., Liu, M., Gazzola, V., & Keysers, C. (2019) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2019.03.024 · Cited by 229 · see citing works
Strategic regulation of empathy
Weisz, E., & Cikara, M. (2021) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2020.12.002 · Cited by 217 · see citing works
Empathy is not in our genes
Heyes, C. M. (2018) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.11.001 · Cited by 220 · see citing works
The Role of Empathy and Compassion in Conflict Resolution
Klimecki, O. (2019) · Emotion Review · doi:10.1177/1754073919838609 · Cited by 203 · see citing works
“Furthermore, empathy promotes helping behavior toward members of one’s own group (de Waal & Preston, 2017; Preston & de Waal, 2002).”
Background
Neurocognitive Basis of Racial Ingroup Bias in Empathy
Han, S. (2018) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2018.02.013 · Cited by 182 · see citing works
“Fortunately, brain imaging research has contributed greatly to our understanding of the neural underpinnings of empathy and their associations with social behavior [11,12].”
Reducing mental illness stigma in healthcare settings: Proof of concept for a social contact intervention to address what matters most for primary care providers
Kohrt, B. A., Turner, E. L., Rai, S., Bhardwaj, A., Sikkema, K. J., Adelekun, A., Dhakal, M., Luitel, N. P., Lund, C., Patel, V., et al. (2020) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112852 · Cited by 177 · see citing works
The neuroethology of spontaneous mimicry and emotional contagion in human and non-human animals
Palagi, E., Celeghin, A., Tamietto, M., Winkielman, P., & Norscia, I. (2020) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.01.020 · Cited by 182 · see citing works
The neuroscience of empathy and compassion in pro-social behavior
Stevens, F. L., & Taber, K. H. (2021) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107925 · Cited by 178 · see citing works
Are we really measuring empathy? Proposal for a new measurement framework
Coll, M., Viding, E. M., Rütgen, M., Silani, G., Lamm, C., Catmur, C., & Bird, G. (2017) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.10.009 · Cited by 163 · see citing works
“…in humans and we have not 449 addressed the implications of this new framework for non-human animal studies, which can 450 provide an important contribution to the understanding of the cognitive and affective processes 451 underlying empathy (de Waal & Preston, 2017; Panksepp & Panksepp, 2013).”
Background
Neural control of affiliative touch in prosocial interaction
Wu, Y. E., Dang, J., Kingsbury, L., Zhang, M., Sun, F., Hu, R. K., & Hong, W. (2021) · Nature · doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03962-w · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Empathy and emotion regulation: An integrative account
Thompson, N. M., Uusberg, A., Gross, J. J., & Chakrabarti, B. (2019) · Progress in brain research · doi:10.1016/bs.pbr.2019.03.024 · Cited by 147 · see citing works
Sex and gender differences in the development of empathy
Rochat, M. J. (2022) · Journal of Neuroscience Research · doi:10.1002/jnr.25009 · Cited by 156 · see citing works
“These diverse facets of empathy have been tentatively integrated by de Waal and Preston (2017) in their perception- action model or PAM.”
Background
The genetic and environmental origins of emotional and cognitive empathy: Review and meta-analyses of twin studies
Abramson, L., Uzefovsky, F., Toccaceli, V., & Knafo‐Noam, A. (2020) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.03.023 · Cited by 143 · see citing works
A meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies on pain empathy: investigating the role of visual information and observers’ perspective
Jauniaux, J., Khatibi, A., Rainville, P., & Jackson, P. L. (2019) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nsz055 · Cited by 143 · see citing works
Social circuits and their dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder
Sato, M., Nakai, N., Fujima, S., Choe, K. Y., & Takumi, T. (2023) · Molecular Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41380-023-02201-0 · Cited by 142 · see citing works
Neural Circuits for Emotion
Malézieux, M., Klein, A. S., & Gogolla, N. (2023) · Annual Review of Neuroscience · doi:10.1146/annurev-neuro-111020-103314 · Cited by 131 · see citing works
Emotional contagion and prosocial behavior in rodents
Keysers, C., Knapska, E., Moita, M. A. P., & Gazzola, V. (2022) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2022.05.005 · Cited by 123 · see citing works
Human attachments shape interbrain synchrony toward efficient performance of social goals
Djalovski, A., Dumas, G., Kinreich, S., & Feldman, R. (2020) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117600 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
Not just for fun! Social play as a springboard for adult social competence in human and non-human primates
Palagi, E. (2018) · Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology · doi:10.1007/s00265-018-2506-6 · Cited by 125 · see citing works
“Spontaneous facial expressions, as opposed to fake or manipulative expressions (Calvo et al. 2013), are considered as honest signals informing the observers about the internal emotional state of the performer (de Waal 2003; Gallese 2003; Gallese et al. 2004; de Waal and Preston 2017).”
Background
Understanding others: Emotion recognition in humans and other animals
Ferretti, V., & Papaleo, F. (2018) · Genes Brain & Behavior · doi:10.1111/gbb.12544 · Cited by 128 · see citing works
Neural basis of prosocial behavior
Wu, Y. E., & Hong, W. (2022) · Trends in Neurosciences · doi:10.1016/j.tins.2022.06.008 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
The cultural evolution of emotion
Lindquist, K. A., Jackson, J., Leshin, J., Satpute, A., & Gendron, M. (2022) · Nature Reviews Psychology · doi:10.1038/s44159-022-00105-4 · Cited by 112 · see citing works
“For example, one person’s emotional state can subtly shift the emotional state of others via facial mimicry, autonomic nervous system activation and brain activity (emotional contagion) 173 .”
Shared and distinct functional networks for empathy and pain processing: a systematic review and meta-analysis of fMRI studies
Fallon, N. B., Roberts, C. A., & Stančák, A. (2020) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nsaa090 · Cited by 125 · see citing works
The neural development of empathy is sensitive to caregiving and early trauma
Lévy, J., Goldstein, A., & Feldman, R. (2019) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-019-09927-y · Cited by 120 · see citing works
Facial mimicry, empathy, and emotion recognition: a meta-analysis of correlations
Holland, A. C., O’Connell, G., & Dziobek, I. (2021) · Cognition and Emotion · doi:10.1080/02699931.2020.1815655 · Cited by 114 · see citing works
“Next, the perception action model (PAM) claims that imitation responses, such as facial mimicry, can motivate altruism by enhancing personal investment in the emotions of others (de Waal & Preston, 2017; Preston & de Waal, 2002).”
Background
Conduct Disorders and Empathy Development
Frick, P. J., & Kemp, E. C. (2020) · Annual Review of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-081219-105809 · Cited by 114 · see citing works
Comparing the value of perceived human versus AI-generated empathy
Rubin, M., Li, J. Z., Zimmerman, F., Ong, D. C., Goldenberg, A., & Perry, A. (2025) · Nature Human Behaviour · doi:10.1038/s41562-025-02247-w · Cited by 132 · see citing works
“It enhances resilience 16 and serves as a catalyst for prosocial and altruistic behaviour in humans 17–20 as well as other mammals 21,22 .”
Neural Basis of Observational Fear Learning: A Potential Model of Affective Empathy
Keum, S., & Shin, H.-S. (2019) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2019.09.013 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
Why contagious yawning does not (yet) equate to empathy
Massen, J. J. M., & Gallup, A. C. (2017) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.07.006 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
Evolutionarily conserved role of oxytocin in social fear contagion in zebrafish
Akinrinade, I. D., Kareklas, K., Teles, M. C., Reis, T. K., Gliksberg, M., Petri, G., Levkowitz, G., & Oliveira, R. F. (2023) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.abq5158 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
A meta‐analysis of the relationship between empathy and executive function
Yan, Z., Hong, S., Liu, F., & Su, Y. (2019) · PsyCh Journal · doi:10.1002/pchj.311 · Cited by 102 · see citing works
The contagion of social defeat stress: Insights from rodent studies
Carnevali, L., Montano, N., Tobaldini, E., Thayer, J. F., & Sgoifo, A. (2020) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.01.011 · Cited by 100 · see citing works
Empathy in computer-mediated interactions: A conceptual framework for research and clinical practice.
Grondin, F., Lomanowska, A. M., & Jackson, P. L. (2019) · Clinical Psychology Science and Practice · doi:10.1111/cpsp.12298 · Cited by 100 · see citing works
A neuropeptide code for itch
Chen, Z. (2021) · Nature reviews. Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/s41583-021-00526-9 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
Physiological synchrony is associated with cooperative success in real-life interactions
Behrens, F., Snijdewint, J. A., Moulder, R. G., Prochazkova, E., Sjak-Shie, E. E., Boker, S. M., & Kret, M. E. (2020) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-020-76539-8 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Embodied stress: The physiological resonance of psychosocial stress
Engert, V., Linz, R., & Grant, J. A. (2018) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.12.221 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
Modeling empathy: building a link between affective and cognitive processes
Yalçın, Ö. N., & DiPaola, S. (2019) · Artificial Intelligence Review · doi:10.1007/s10462-019-09753-0 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
“A deﬁnition of empathy as an umbrella term for any type of process triggered by observing the others’ emotional states and activating one’s own (de Waal and Preston 2017), has been used as an attempt to cover this broad range of behaviors.”
BackgroundMethodInfluential
Emotional contagion in nonhuman animals: A review
Pérez‐Manrique, A., & Gomila, A. (2021) · Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Cognitive Science · doi:10.1002/wcs.1560 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Harm to Others Acts as a Negative Reinforcer in Rats
Hernandez-Lallement, J., Attah, A. T., Soyman, E., Pinhal, C. M., Gazzola, V., & Keysers, C. (2020) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2020.01.017 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
The dark side of empathy: Meta‐analysis evidence of the relationship between empathy and depression
Yan, Z., Zeng, X., Su, J., & Zhang, X. (2021) · PsyCh Journal · doi:10.1002/pchj.482 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
The causal role of the somatosensory cortex in prosocial behaviour
Gallo, S., Paracampo, R., Müller‐Pinzler, L., Severo, M. C., Blömer, L. A., Fernandes-Henriques, C., Henschel, A., Lammes, B. K., Maskaljunas, T., Suttrup, J., et al. (2018) · eLife · doi:10.7554/elife.32740 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
Challenges in the comparative study of empathy and related phenomena in animals
Adriaense, J. E. C., Koski, S. E., Huber, L., & Lamm, C. (2020) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.01.021 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Synchronous caregiving from birth to adulthood tunes humans’ social brain
Ulmer-Yaniv, A., Salomon, R., Waidergoren, S., Shimon-Raz, O., Djalovski, A., & Feldman, R. (2021) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2012900118 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
Whale and dolphin behavioural responses to dead conspecifics
Bearzi, G., Kerem, D. H., Furey, N. B., Pitman, R. L., Rendell, L. E., & Reeves, R. R. (2018) · Zoology · doi:10.1016/j.zool.2018.05.003 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
Refining the link between psychopathy, antisocial behavior, and empathy: A meta-analytical approach across different conceptual frameworks
Campos, C., Pasion, R., Azeredo, A., Ramião, E., Mazer, P., Macedo, I., & Barbosa, F. (2022) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2022.102145 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
A Missense Variant at the Nrxn3 Locus Enhances Empathy Fear in the Mouse
Keum, S., Kim, A., Shin, J. J., Kim, J., Park, J., & Shin, H. (2018) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2018.03.041 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Epigenetic modification of the oxytocin receptor gene is associated with emotion processing in the infant brain
Krol, K. M., Puglia, M. H., Morris, J. P., Connelly, J. J., & Grossmann, T. (2019) · Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100648 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Neural mechanisms necessary for empathy-related phenomena across species
Paradiso, E., Gazzola, V., & Keysers, C. (2021) · Current Opinion in Neurobiology · doi:10.1016/j.conb.2021.02.005 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
The neurodevelopmental precursors of altruistic behavior in infancy
Großmann, T., Missana, M., & Krol, K. M. (2018) · PLoS Biology · doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.2005281 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
The Role of Sensorimotor Processes in Pain Empathy
Riečanský, I., & Lamm, C. (2019) · Brain Topography · doi:10.1007/s10548-019-00738-4 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
The social dilemma: prefrontal control of mammalian sociability
Yizhar, O., & Levy, D. R. (2021) · Current Opinion in Neurobiology · doi:10.1016/j.conb.2021.01.007 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Social relations and presence of others predict bystander intervention: Evidence from violent incidents captured on CCTV
Liebst, L. S., Philpot, R., Bernasco, W., Dausel, K. L., Ejbye‐Ernst, P., Nicolaisen, M. H., & Lindegaard, M. R. (2019) · Aggressive Behavior · doi:10.1002/ab.21853 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
“These findings are consistent with an evolutionary theory of cooperation that expects helping behavior to occur disproportionately between genetically related or reciprocating individuals (de Waal & Preston, 2017; Axelrod & Hamilton, 1981; Vázquez, Gómez, Ordoñana, Swann, & Whitehouse, 2017).”
Integrative Model of Human-Animal Interactions: A One Health–One Welfare Systemic Approach to Studying HAI
Leconstant, C., & Spitz, É. (2022) · Frontiers in Veterinary Science · doi:10.3389/fvets.2022.656833 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Modern theories of human evolution foreshadowed by Darwin’s <i>Descent of Man</i>
Richerson, P. J., Gavrilets, S., & de Waal, F. B. M. (2021) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.aba3776 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Why we heal: The evolution of psychological healing and implications for global mental health
Kohrt, B. A., Ottman, K. E., Panter‐Brick, C., Konner, M. J., & Patel, V. (2020) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101920 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Social Media Addiction and Empathy: Moderating impact of personality traits among high school students
Dalvi‐Esfahani, M., Niknafs, A., Alaedini, Z., ahmadabadi, H. B., Kuss, D. J., & Ramayah, T. (2020) · Telematics and Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.tele.2020.101516 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
Laughter, play faces and mimicry in animals: evolution and social functions
Davila‐Ross, M., & Palagi, E. (2022) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2021.0177 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Cortical regulation of helping behaviour towards others in pain
Zhang, M., Wu, Y. E., Jiang, M., & Hong, W. (2024) · Nature · doi:10.1038/s41586-023-06973-x · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Therapeutic Alliance as Active Inference: The Role of Therapeutic Touch and Synchrony
McParlin, Z., Cerritelli, F., Friston, K. J., & Esteves, J. E. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.783694 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Dysfunction of Empathy and Related Processes in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Systematic Review
Salgado, R. M., Pedrosa, R., & Bastos-Leite, A. J. (2020) · Harvard Review of Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/hrp.0000000000000260 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Technologically-assisted communication attenuates inter-brain synchrony
Schwartz, L., Lévy, J., Endevelt–Shapira, Y., Djalovski, A., Hayut, O., Dumas, G., & Feldman, R. (2022) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119677 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Empathy framework for embodied conversational agents
Yalçın, Ö. N. (2019) · Cognitive Systems Research · doi:10.1016/j.cogsys.2019.09.016 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Empathy in Facial Mimicry of Fear and Disgust: Simultaneous EMG-fMRI Recordings During Observation of Static and Dynamic Facial Expressions
Rymarczyk, K., Żurawski, Ł., Jankowiak-Siuda, K., & Szatkowska, I. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00701 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
“…processes discovered and defined in the domain of actions “result from the fact that the subject’s representations of the emotional state are automatically activated when the subject pays attention to the emotional state of the object” (Preston and de Waal, 2002, p. 1; de Waal and Preston, 2017).”
Background
Physiological synchrony is associated with attraction in a blind date setting
Prochazkova, E., Sjak-Shie, E., Behrens, F., Lindh, D., & Kret, M. E. (2021) · Nature Human Behaviour · doi:10.1038/s41562-021-01197-3 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
“The function of physiological synchrony is not well understood, but similar to motor mimicry (for example, facial expression mimicry), it may help people to align emotionally 15,16 .”
A computational model of empathy for interactive agents
Yalcin, O. N., & DiPaola, S. (2018) · Biologically Inspired Cognitive Architectures · doi:10.1016/j.bica.2018.07.010 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
“Empathy, as the capacity to relate another’s emotional state [3], is found to evoke altruistic and prosocial behavior, have a positive effect on the length of relationship, provide competence in communication and have a negative effect on aggressive behavior [4].”
BackgroundInfluential
Reexamining empathy in autism: Empathic disequilibrium as a novel predictor of autism diagnosis and autistic traits
Shalev, I., Warrier, V., Greenberg, D. M., Smith, P. L., Allison, C. L., Baron‐Cohen, S., Eran, A., & Uzefovsky, F. (2022) · Autism Research · doi:10.1002/aur.2794 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
“Further support is provided by neuroimaging studies showing that CE and EE differ in brain activation and structure (de Waal & Preston, 2017; Shamay-Tsoory et al., 2008; Uribe et al., 2019).”
Method
Social interaction with a cagemate in pain increases allogrooming and induces pain hypersensitivity in the observer rats
Lü, Y.-F., Ren, B., Ling, B.-F., Zhang, J., Chen, X., & Li, Z. (2017) · Neuroscience Letters · doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2017.10.063 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
The question of animal emotions
de Waal, F. Β. Μ., & Andrews, K. (2022) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.abo2378 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Dorsal raphe nucleus to anterior cingulate cortex 5-HTergic neural circuit modulates consolation and sociability
Li, L., Zhang, L., He, Z., Ma, H., Zhang, Y., Xun, Y., Yuan, W., Hou, W., Li, Y.-T., Lv, Z., et al. (2021) · eLife · doi:10.7554/elife.67638 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Facial mimicry and play: A comparative study in chimpanzees and gorillas.
Palagi, E., Norscia, I., Pressi, S., & Cordoni, G. (2018) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/emo0000476 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
“In both human and nonhuman animals, spontaneous facial expressions can unveil the internal states of individuals (Gallese, 2003; Gallese, Keysers, & Rizzolatti, 2004; de Waal & Preston, 2017).”
Background
Validating Rat Model of Empathy for Pain: Effects of Pain Expressions in Social Partners
Li, C.-L., Yang, Y., He, T., Wang, R.-R., Geng, K.-W., Du, R., Luo, W.-J., Wei, N., Wang, X., Wang, Y., et al. (2018) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00242 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
“Debate and controversy still exists between the PAM (de Waal and Preston, 2017; Preston and de Waal, 2017) and the mirror system (Rizzolatti and Caruana, 2017) in terms of theoretical considerations about representations of empathy.”
Background
Empathy and its associations with age and sociodemographic characteristics in a large UK population sample
Sommerlad, A., Huntley, J. D., Livingston, G., Rankin, K. P., & Fancourt, D. E. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0257557 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Observational fear behavior in rodents as a model for empathy
Kim, A., Keum, S., & Shin, H. (2018) · Genes Brain & Behavior · doi:10.1111/gbb.12521 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Empathy regulation, prosociality, and moral judgment
Cameron, C. D., Conway, P. J., & Scheffer, J. A. (2021) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.09.011 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Bidirectional cingulate-dependent danger information transfer across rats
Han, Y., Bruls, R., Soyman, E., Thomas, R. M., Pentaraki, V., Jelinek, N., Heinemans, M., Bassez, I., Verschooren, S., Pruis, I., et al. (2019) · PLoS Biology · doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.3000524 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
“Second, what is being transferred? One important distinction relates to the distinction between behavioral mimicry and emotional contagion [30,31].”
Background
Maturation of Pain Empathy from Child to Adult Shifts from Single to Multiple Neural Rhythms to Support Interoceptive Representations
Lévy, J., Goldstein, A., Pratt, M., & Feldman, R. (2018) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-018-19810-3 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Sharing playful mood: rapid facial mimicry in Suricata suricatta
Palagi, E., Marchi, E., Cavicchio, P., & Bandoli, F. (2019) · Animal Cognition · doi:10.1007/s10071-019-01269-y · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Anterior Cingulate Cortex Signals Attention in a Social Paradigm that Manipulates Reward and Shock
Schneider, K. N., Sciarillo, X. A., Nudelman, J. L., Cheer, J. F., & Roesch, M. R. (2020) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2020.07.039 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Help or flight? Increased threat imminence promotes defensive helping in humans
Vieira, J. B., Schellhaas, S., Enström, E., & Olsson, A. (2020) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2020.1473 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
With a little help from my friends: The effect of social proximity on emotion regulation-related brain activity
Morawetz, C., Berboth, S., & Bode, S. (2021) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.117817 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
The association between acute stress & empathy: A systematic literature review
Nitschke, J. P., & Bartz, J. A. (2022) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.105003 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Psychopathy to Altruism: Neurobiology of the Selfish–Selfless Spectrum
Sonne, J., & Gash, D. M. (2018) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00575 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
“As defined by de Waal and Preston (2017), empathy is a “term for all processes that emerge from the fact that observers understand others’ states by activating their own personal, neural, and mental representations of that state.””
Background
Involvement of oxytocin and GABA in consolation behavior elicited by socially defeated individuals in mandarin voles
Li, L., Yuan, W., He, Z., Wang, L., Jing, X.-Y., Zhang, J., Yang, Y., Guo, Q., Zhang, X., Cai, W., et al. (2018) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.12.238 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Towards a unified theory of emotional contagion in rodents—A meta-analysis
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“Published literature on social behavior in rodents is quite extensive and ranges from the late 1940’s [14–25] to recent influential pieces unifying the building blocks of empathy across species [26,27].”
When differences matter: rTMS/fMRI reveals how differences in dispositional empathy translate to distinct neural underpinnings of self-other distinction in empathy
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Sustainable Compassion Training: Integrating Meditation Theory With Psychological Science
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Determinants of Social Cognitive Aging: Predicting Resilience and Risk
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Rats display empathic behavior independent of the opportunity for social interaction
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Chronic trauma impairs the neural basis of empathy in mothers: Relations to parenting and children’s empathic abilities
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Upregulating positive affect through compassion: Psychological and physiological evidence
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Empathy: its ultimate and proximate bases
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Self-citation
The evolving empathy: hardwired bases of human and non-human primate empathy
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The roots of empathy: Through the lens of rodent models
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Authors: de Waal, F. B. M., & Preston, S. D.
Affiliations: University of Michigan (US)
ORCID: Preston, Stephanie D.
Venue: Nature Reviews Neuroscience
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published: 2017-06-29
Volume: 18
Issue: 8
Pages: 498-509
ISSN: 1471-003X (ISSN-L)
1471-0048
DOI: 10.1038/nrn.2017.72
OpenAlex: W2732246028
Cited by: 957
References: 142
Citations by year: 2026: 97 · 2025: 111 · 2024: 149 · 2023: 119 · 2022: 132 · 2021: 120 · 2020: 92 · 2019: 74 · 2018: 50 · 2017: 13
FWCI: 9.86
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations: Nature reviews. Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders: University of Michigan
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
Keywords: empathy, affective empathy, cognitive empathy, perception-action model, mirror neurons, mirror neuron theory, consolation, neural basis of empathy, interspecies empathy, embodied representations, evolution of empathy
MeSH terms: Animals, Behavior, Animal, Brain, Emotions, Empathy, Biological Evolution, Humans, Mammals, Models, Neurological, Mirror Neurons

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Mammalian empathy: behavioural manifestations and neural basis

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