Academic Journal
Only empathy-related traits, not being mimicked or endorphin release, influence social closeness and prosocial behavior
| Title: | Only empathy-related traits, not being mimicked or endorphin release, influence social closeness and prosocial behavior |
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| Authors: | Birgit Rauchbauer, Gabriela Jank, Robin I. M. Dunbar, Claus Lamm |
| Source: | Scientific Reports, Vol 13, Iss 1, Pp 1-12 (2023) |
| Publisher Information: | Nature Portfolio, 2023. |
| Publication Year: | 2023 |
| Collection: | LCC:Medicine LCC:Science |
| Subject Terms: | Medicine, Science |
| More Details: | Abstract Seminal studies suggest that being mimicked increases experienced social closeness and prosocial behavior to a mimicking confederate (i.e., interaction partner). Here we reexamine these results by considering the role of empathy-related traits, an indirect proxy for endorphin uptake, and their combined effects as an explanation for these results. 180 female participants were mimicked or anti-mimicked in an interaction with a confederate. The effects of being mimicked versus anti-mimicked in relation to empathy-related traits and endorphin release (assessed indirectly via pain tolerance) on experienced closeness and prosocial behavior were assessed using Bayesian analyses. Our results suggest that high individual empathy-related traits increase social closeness to the anti-mimicking and mimicking confederate and to one’s romantic partner, as compared to mimicry alone. Results furthermore strongly suggest that high individual empathy-related traits increase prosocial behavior (donations and willingness to help) as compared to mimicry alone. These findings extend previous work by highlighting that empathy-related traits are more influential in creating positive effects on social closeness and prosocial behavior than a one-shot mimicking encounter. |
| Document Type: | article |
| File Description: | electronic resource |
| Language: | English |
| ISSN: | 2045-2322 |
| Relation: | https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322 |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-023-30946-9 |
| Access URL: | https://doaj.org/article/cce9f91d6dc94a168802c59b7ac0706b |
| Accession Number: | edsdoj.9f91d6dc94a168802c59b7ac0706b |
| Database: | Directory of Open Access Journals |
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| ISSN: | 20452322 |
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| DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-023-30946-9 |
| Published in: | Scientific Reports |
| Language: | English |