Shared Hearts and Minds: Physiological Synchrony During Empathy.

ABSTRACT: Empathy is a multidimensional construct that includes changes in cognitive, affective, and physiological processes. However, the physiological processes that contribute to empathic responding have received far less empirical attention. Here, we investigated whether physiological synchrony emerged during an empathy-inducing activity in which individuals disclosed a time of suffering while their romantic partner listened and responded (N = 111 couples). Further, we examined the extent to which trait and state measures of cognitive and affective empathy were associated with each other and with physiological synchrony during this activity. We found evidence for physiological synchrony in skin conductance reactivity and also in interbeat interval reactivity, though only when disclosers w

SUBMITTER: Qaiser J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10751274 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature