RESULTS:
Intranasal oxytocin administration has been previously shown to enhance both affective and cognitive components of empathy. However, less is known about the underlying physiological mechanisms that could account for these effects. A recent hypothesis proposed that the increase in empathy after oxytocin administration may in part be due to changes in parasympathetic activity, perceived via interoceptive processes. We conducted this study to test if changes in parasympathetic activity can explain the effects of oxytocin on empathy for pain, and if interoceptive accuracy moderates that relation. A double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment with 60 male participants was performed. Parasympathetic activity was measured with high-frequency heart rate variability (HRV). Interoceptive accuracy was measured with the Heartbeat Tracking Task. Cognitive empathy was assessed with Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). To assess affective empathy participants viewed neutral or pained expressions and rated the depicted intensity of pain, the degree of pain they felt themselves, and the sympathy felt for the people in the pictures. Contrary to the hypotheses, oxytocin administration decreased cognitive empathy and did not increase affective empathy. Participants who received oxytocin did rate their experienced sympathy as higher, compared to placebo, but regardless of the type of pictures (neutral vs. pain). This effect of oxytocin was neither moderated by interoceptive accuracy, nor mediated by parasympathetic activity. Oxytocin administration also had no effect on heart rate variability and interoceptive accuracy. We found no evidence to support the hypotheses that peripheral physiology plays a mediating role in the effects of oxytocin on empathy for pain.
Voor vragen in verband met dit experiment kan je terecht op: konrad.rudnicki@uantwerpen.be
Hoofdonderzoekers:
Konrad Rudnicki
Faculteit Sociale Wetenschappen, Communicatiewetenschappen
Konrad.rudnicki@uantwerpen.be
Prof. dr. Dr. Charlotte De Backer
Faculteit Sociale Wetenschappen, Communicatiewetenschappen
Charlotte.debacker@uantwerpen.be
Prof. dr. The. Carolyn Declerck
Faculteit Bedrijfswetenschappen en Economie, Management
Carolyn.declerck@uantwerpen.be
Mario Berth
Algemeen Medisch Laboratorium
Mario.berth@aml-lab.be