Moderate similarity leads to empathic concern, but high similarity can also induce personal distress towards others' pain.

ABSTRACT: Empathic concern and personal distress are common vicarious emotional responses that arise when witnessing someone else's pain. However, the influence of perceived similarity on these responses remains unclear. In this study, we examined how perceived similarity with an injured target impacts vicarious emotional responses. A total of 87 participants watched a video of an athlete in pain preceded by a clip describing the athlete's trajectory, which indicated either high, moderate, or low similarity to the participants. Emotional self-reports, facial expressions, gaze behavior, and pupil diameter were measured as indicators of the participants' emotional responses. Participants in the moderate- and high-similarity groups exhibited greater empathic concern, as evidenced by their display of mo

SUBMITTER: Salles BM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10990819 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature