[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/5741\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EEmpathy: from spiders to psychopathy \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMore than a decade later, he began to research empathy\u0026nbsp;\u2013\u0026nbsp;the ability to recognise another\u2019s feelings. So he watched \u003Cem\u003EDr. No\u003C\/em\u003E again to see if he got the same feeling, and to try to figure out: Why did he seem to feel the same terror as Bond, when there was no deadly spider near him?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Keysers, 39, head of the Social Brain Lab at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, is currently on a quest to understand the mechanisms at work in empathy. Empathy is a fundamental part of being human, and a better understanding could provide the basis for grappling with mental\u0026nbsp;disorders where people lack it\u0026nbsp;\u2013\u0026nbsp;such as autism\u0026nbsp;\u2013\u0026nbsp;for which there is so far few medicines available for treatment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe past decade has seen some progress in mapping out regions of the brain that seem to be involved with empathy, he says. But scientists\u0026nbsp;still do not understand the precise mechanisms at work: how neurones\u0026nbsp;\u2013 electrically stimulated cells\u0026nbsp;\u2013\u0026nbsp;in the brain interact when we are empathising. Prof. Keysers is planning to go further with a grant he received from the European Research Council\u0026nbsp;(ERC) \u2013\u0026nbsp;the 3\u0026nbsp;000\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C\/sup\u003E\u0026nbsp;such grant awarded.\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018Empathy is\u0026amp;nbsp;the glue that makes social life possible\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Christian Keysers, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience.\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022line-height: 1.538em;\u0022\u003E\u2018We still don\u2019t understand how these individual regions of the brain work together to make the process possible,\u2019 he says\u0026nbsp;\u2013\u0026nbsp;\u2018how they exchange information with each other to make this possible.\u2019\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESomeone else\u2019s shoes\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEmpathy is an essential part of human social life. It is closely linked to compassion and to \u2018putting ourselves in someone else\u2019s shoes\u2019\u0026nbsp;\u2013\u0026nbsp;both of which make us less likely to harm others, and more likely to do things\u0026nbsp;that benefit them. Such instincts are the basis of the collaboration at the heart of social and economic life: if we could not empathise, human society as we know it could never have developed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIndeed, empathy\u0026nbsp;is the cornerstone of the major religions\u2019\u0026nbsp;ethical doctrines, which developed as people began to abandon a nomadic lifestyle and start settling on farms\u0026nbsp;\u2013\u0026nbsp;thus requiring that they live and work together. For Christians, the so-called Golden Rule goes: \u2018Do unto others as you would have them do unto you\u2019. \u003Cspan class=\u0022img_legend\u0022\u003E \u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Christian Keysers heads the Social Brain Lab at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam. \u00a9 Valeria Gazzola\u0022 height=\u0022300\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/00-RDT-Keysers-Keysers7950.JPG\u0022 title=\u0022Christian Keysers heads the Social Brain Lab at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam. \u00a9 Valeria Gazzola\u0022 width=\u0022200\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EChristian Keysers heads the Social Brain Lab at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam. \u00a9 Valeria Gazzola\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003Cem\u003EProf. Christian Keysers heads the Social Brain Lab at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam. \u00a9 Valeria Gazzola\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The Golden Rule is the fundament of ethics in almost all major religions,\u2019 says Prof. Keysers. \u2018Empathy is at the core of human nature\u0026nbsp;\u2013\u0026nbsp;the glue that makes social life possible.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe trouble is, the workings of empathy have proved hard to figure out. Over the\u0026nbsp;past 10 years, scientists have come to understand the basics, says Prof. Keysers. In particular, a part of the brain that sparks up when you do something or feel an emotion yourself will come online again when you see the actions and emotions of others.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe next stage is to figure out mechanisms. Prof. Keysers heads a multi-national team of 12 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands ranging from biologists to an astrophysicist. To gather experimental data on humans, the team uses a\u0026nbsp;so-called electroencephalogram (EEG), in which\u0026nbsp;electrode sensors are attached to the head of human subjects, while they look at images designed to stimulate feelings of empathy. The sensors measure where in the brain electrical activity is taking place, in order to trace the pathways used. The team also uses a sophisticated type of\u0026nbsp;magnetic resonance imaging\u0026nbsp;(MRI), the scans used by doctors to visualise the body\u2019s internal structures.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo get more direct readings of brain activity, they use rats and monkeys\u0026nbsp;\u2013\u0026nbsp;who also feel empathy. With rats, they can be more intrusive, placing sensors in the brain to track what neurones are doing, and manipulating brain activity. Interestingly, Prof. Keysers found that rats feel more empathy for their cage mates than for other rats. While humans tend to be more empathetic\u0026nbsp;than rats, people still sometimes lack empathy for others outside their group, whether this is based on race, politics or their favourite football team.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAny findings on the mechanisms at work in animal brains would only be relevant to humans if the same brain regions are at work, but the first signs here are positive, says Prof. Keysers. \u2018By putting all of that together for the first time we can get a real biology of how the brain is empathic,\u2019 he says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERobot empathy\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBetter understanding of empathy could have a variety of uses. As\u0026nbsp;populations age, there are not enough human nurses to go round. Teaching robots to recognise human emotions could smooth their interaction with humans.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPerhaps more significantly, figuring out the biological pathways of empathy might help develop treatments of mental disorders related to its absence. Autistic people appear not to be able to recognise what others are feeling, disrupting their social interactions. Psychopaths seem also to lack such understanding, which allows them to harm others without feeling bad about it. Drugs can help treat the delusions suffered by schizophrenics \u2013\u0026nbsp;but not their poor emotional responsiveness.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018For schizophrenia, you can treat the positive symptoms, such as delusions,\u2019 says Prof. Keysers. \u2018But none of the big pharma companies have a single compound that can target the social deficit.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Keysers\u2019\u0026nbsp;current work is several steps away from the world of pharma research\u0026nbsp;\u2013\u0026nbsp;and that is the way he likes it. His EUR 1.8 million ERC grant is letting his research group \u2018do five years\u0026nbsp;of research on a risky subject\u2019\u0026nbsp;\u2013\u0026nbsp;that is, one that is so ambitious it is hard to predict in advance what it will yield. He says it also helps that the grant is awarded to a project rather than just an individual scientist, as is the case with many other grants.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEven the application process pushed him further than he would have otherwise. \u2018You know that you are competing against the most innovative minds in Europe. It makes you pause,\u2019 he says. \u2018You really take the time to stop and think about what would be\u0026nbsp;an original next step. That\u2019s something you don\u2019t get to do every day in a busy lab schedule.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022When you witness someone else sniff a glass and look disgusted, you activate certain brain regions (blue) that overlap (white) with those (red) that are active when you smell something bad yourself. When you see others be touched on their leg, you activate regions (blue) that overlap (white) with those (red) that are active when you are touched on your own leg. Finally, seeing someone else perform a hand action, you activate (blue) regions that overlap (white) with those (red) that are responsible for moving your own hand. Jointly, this shows, that you understand the emotions (top), sensations (middle) and actions (bottom) of others, not through thinking, but by empathically making your brain slip in a state that resembles that of the actor in the movie, involving the same emotional, somatosensory and motor cortices responsible for your own emotions, sensations and actions. \u00a9 Keysers\u0022 height=\u0022248\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/00-RDT-Keysers-keysersresearch_0.jpg\u0022 style=\u0022display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\u0022 title=\u0022When you witness someone else sniff a glass and look disgusted, you activate certain brain regions (blue) that overlap (white) with those (red) that are active when you smell something bad yourself. When you see others be touched on their leg, you activate regions (blue) that overlap (white) with those (red) that are active when you are touched on your own leg. Finally, seeing someone else perform a hand action, you activate (blue) regions that overlap (white) with those (red) that are responsible for moving your own hand. Jointly, this shows, that you understand the emotions (top), sensations (middle) and actions (bottom) of others, not through thinking, but by empathically making your brain slip in a state that resembles that of the actor in the movie, involving the same emotional, somatosensory and motor cortices responsible for your own emotions, sensations and actions. \u00a9 Keysers\u0022 width=\u0022400\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EWhen you witness someone else sniff a glass and look disgusted, you activate certain brain regions (blue) that overlap (white) with those (red) that are active when you smell something bad yourself. When you see others be touched on their leg, you activate regions (blue) that overlap (white) with those (red) that are active when you are touched on your own leg. Finally, seeing someone else perform a hand action, you activate (blue) regions that overlap (white) with those (red) that are responsible for moving your own hand. Jointly, this shows, that you understand the emotions (top), sensations (middle) and actions (bottom) of others, not through thinking, but by empathically making your brain slip in a state that resembles that of the actor in the movie, involving the same emotional, somatosensory and motor cortices responsible for your own emotions, sensations and actions. \u00a9 Keysers\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\u0022font-size: 11px;\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EWhen you witness someone else sniff a glass and look disgusted, you activate certain brain regions (blue) that overlap (white) with those (red) that are active when you smell something bad yourself. When you see others be touched on their leg, you activate regions (blue) that overlap (white) with those (red) that are active when you are touched on your own leg. Finally, seeing someone else perform a hand action, you activate (blue) regions that overlap (white) with those (red) that are responsible for moving your own hand. Jointly, this shows, that you understand the emotions (top), sensations (middle) and actions (bottom) of others, not through thinking, but by empathically making your brain slip in a state that resembles that of the actor in the movie, involving the same emotional, somatosensory and motor cortices responsible for your own emotions, sensations and actions. \u00a9 Christian Keysers\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-iydzfksmp-8b7m-x-vpyl-sebrmxnfzx-ukykiezfq\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-IYdzFksMp-8b7M-x_vPyL_sebrmxNFzx__UkYkIezfQ\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]