Empathy and Pain Sensitivity: The Influence of Empathy for Negative Affective States on Pain Sensitivity

Abstract

Empathy for pain is an established phenomenon in the behavioral as well as fMRI literature resulting in increased pain sensitivity. We sought to investigate the effects of empathy for social pain (embarrassment, ostracism) on pain sensitivity which, while explored and established in fMRI studies, remains unexamined in behavioral studies. Specifically, we examined the hypothesis that watching others being ostracized or embarrassed would increase the observer's pain ratings. Additionally, we investigated whether watching images of others in physical pain would similarly cause an increase in observer pain ratings. There was only one significant interaction indicating that the empathy for ostracism condition had a significant increase on pain ratings. Robust sex differences were found, as well as evidence that trait empathy might be correlated with pain ratings after empathizing with others. The results and future directions are discussed.