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Cited by 865Pain Mechanisms and TreatmentsAction Observation and SynchronizationPrimate Behavior and Ecology

Social Modulation of Pain as Evidence for Empathy in Mice

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Langford, Dale J., Crager, Sara E., Shehzad, Zarrar, Smith, Shad B., Sotocinal, Susana G., Levenstadt, Jeremy S., Chanda, Mona Lisa, Levitin, Daniel J. +1 more·2006·Science
DOI 10.1126/science.1128322
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Abstract

Empathy is thought to be unique to higher primates, possibly to humans alone. We report the modulation of pain sensitivity in mice produced solely by exposure to their cagemates, but not to strangers, in pain. Mice tested in dyads and given an identical noxious stimulus displayed increased pain behaviors with statistically greater co-occurrence, effects dependent on visual observation. When familiar mice were given noxious stimuli of different intensities, their pain behavior was influenced by their neighbor's status bidirectionally. Finally, observation of a cagemate in pain altered pain sensitivity of an entirely different modality, suggesting that nociceptive mechanisms in general are sensitized.

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Crossref · 10.1126/science.1128322

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24 of 24 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Pain-related behaviors induced by a noxious stimulus were increased if experienced with a conspecific also in pain.

    “Foundational studies established that pain-related behaviors induced by a noxious stimulus (e.g., paw injection of formalin) were increased if experienced with a conspecific also in pain [96].”

    From Neural circuits regulating prosocial behaviors (2023) · cites this paper as [96]

  • The joint experience of a painful noxious stimulus influences the degree of hyperalgesia in both subjects.

    “For example, exposure to a conspecific being shocked depresses operant responding in the test subject [95] or the joint experience of a painful noxious stimuli influences the degree of hyperalgesia in both subjects [96].”

    From Neural circuits regulating prosocial behaviors (2023) · cites this paper as [96]

  • A previous study examining emotional contagion of pain in mice suggests that the pain of familiar individuals is more contagious than that of strangers.

    “A previous study examining the emotional contagion of pain in mice suggests that the pain of familiar individuals is more contagious than that of strangers (Langford et al., 2006).”

    From Helping behavior in prairie voles: a model of empathy and the importance of oxytocin (2022) · cites this paper as Langford et al., 2006

  • The emotion contagion questionnaire assesses an individual's susceptibility to automatically mimic another's behavior.

    “The emotion contagion questionnaire assesses an individual's susceptibility to automatically mimic another's behavior – a mechanism that is also found in phylogenetically older species (e.g., [46], [47]).”

    From What are you feeling? Using functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess the modulation of sensory and affective responses during empathy for pain (2007) · cites this paper as [46]

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Authors
Langford, D. J., Crager, S. E., Shehzad, Z., Smith, S. B., Sotocinal, S. G., Levenstadt, J. S., Chanda, M. L., Levitin, D. J., & Mogil, J. S.
Affiliations
McGill University (CA)
Corresponding author
Mogil, Jeffrey S.
ORCID
Venue
Science
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Published
2006-06-30
Volume
312
Issue
5782
Pages
1967-1970
ISSN
  • 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
  • 1095-9203
DOI
10.1126/science.1128322
OpenAlex
W1982376050
Cited by
865
References
24
Citations by year
2026: 21 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 80 · 2023: 37 · 2022: 50 · 2021: 49 · 2020: 50 · 2019: 50 · 2018: 65 · 2017: 54 · 2016: 55 · 2015: 39 · 2014: 39 · 2013: 37 · 2012: 39
FWCI
19.66
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • eScholarship@McGill (McGill) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
Keywords
empathy, pain modulation, nociception, social behavior, mice, visual observation, pain sensitivity, nociceptive sensitization, dyadic interaction
MeSH terms
Altruism, Animals, Behavior, Animal, Cues, Empathy, Female, Formaldehyde, Hot Temperature, Male, Pain, Pain Measurement, Social Behavior, Mice

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