Neural responses to emotional displays by politicians: differential mu and alpha suppression patterns in response to in-party and out-party leaders.

ABSTRACT: The high levels of polarization raise concerns about individuals' decreased ability to empathize and understand the representatives of political out-groups. As such, our political biases may lead us to misunderstand out-group politicians. In the current study, we examine the mu rhythm, a neural oscillation in the sensorimotor cortex related to the processing and understanding of other people's actions, intentions and emotions. The mu rhythm is particularly responsive towards the emotional expressions of others and sensitive to social biases. Hence, we examine (1) whether the emotions displayed by politicians lead to more mu event-related-desynchronization (mu-ERD), (2) whether it matters which emotion (angry, happy, neutral) is displayed, and (3) whether neural responses differ when emotio

SUBMITTER: Homan MD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11897177 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature