Participants in an experiment
(a): while the participants were
exposed do either pleasant or unpleasant visual and tactile stimuli
(b), they were asked to evaluate the
emotions of their partners.
The right supramarginal gyrus plays an important role in
empathy
Egoism and narcissism appear to be on the rise in our
society, while empathy is on the decline. And yet, the ability to put ourselves
in other people’s shoes is extremely important for our coexistence. A research
team headed by Tania Singer from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive
and Brain Sciences has discovered that our own feelings can distort our
capacity for empathy. This emotionally driven egocentricity is recognised and
corrected by the brain. When, however, the right supramarginal gyrus doesn’t
function properly or when we have to make particularly quick decisions, our
empathy is severely limited.