Sometimes we find it difficult to show empathy to strangers. What's the matter? Scientists have found the answer to this question.
It has been previously established that empathy is a trait not only of humans, but also of mice. Therefore, in a new study conducted by Canadian and American scientists, both humans and mice were involved.
Researchers have found that empathy with strangers increases when stress hormones are blocked with medication. As it turns out, both humans and rodents tend to be more sympathetic towards those they know.
In the study, mice were given a stress-blocking drug and observed for their response while "face-to-face" with a mouse that was in pain. Under such conditions, mice were more compassionate towards unfamiliar relatives. However, under stress, the mice's empathy for strangers was significantly reduced.
The same experiment was done on students who were asked to rate the pain of a friend or stranger whose hand was placed in very cold water and left there for 30 seconds.
Students who took stress medication prior to the test felt more deeply the pain of a stranger than participants who were not given medication.
Dr. Jeffrey Mogil of McGill University (Montreal, Canada) suggests that stressful brain conditions can block our ability to empathize. Dr. Mogil also noted that a special game "Rock Band" will help to quickly reduce the level of stress, in which it is enough to play 15 minutes on a laboratory console.
The author of the study added that the same effect of stress on mice and humans is a very interesting fact. He suggests that either mice are more complex than we think, or the underlying mechanism of social interaction is actually simpler than it is supposed to be. "Socially, mice are quite similar to humans," the author concluded.
Source estet-portal.com
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