Understanding Empathy Toward Dissimilar Others in Daily Social Contexts

Empathy is essential for human social interaction; however, extending empathy toward individuals with dissimilar characteristics facing daily challenges may be difficult. In this study, we examined how people without disabilities empathize with individuals with disabilities, specifically those with stroke-induced hemiplegia, during manual interactions with objects or other people. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and multi voxel pattern analysis (MVPA), we explored the neural and behavioral mechanisms underlying empathy in these contexts. Participants observed video stimuli featuring individuals with hemiplegia performing tasks such as grasping a human hand or an object (a plastic bottle), using either their hemiplegic or non-hemiplegic hands. Behavioral responses revealed stronger negative empathic feelings toward hemiplegic movements than non-hemiplegic ones, regardless of the grasping targets. Positive empathic feelings were more pronounced while observing interactions involving human hands than those involving objects, particularly when performed using the hemiplegic hand. Furthermore, classification approaches in MVPA revealed that parts of the mirror neuron system and mentalizing networks distinguished empathic responses to interactions with human hands and objects commonly across hemiplegic and non-hemiplegic hands. Additionally, the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) more accurately classified empathic responses for hemiplegic than non-hemiplegic movements, reflecting the complexity of empathizing with unfamiliar actions. Representational similarity analysis revealed that brain regions associated with affective empathy were specifically attuned to feelings of relief across experimental conditions. These findings suggest that both affective and cognitive brain systems are engaged when empathizing with individuals with different characteristics who face complex challenges. Moreover, the dorsal MPFC plays a substantial role in facilitating precise empathic responses to hemiplegic movements. Moreover, the affective system is particularly fine-tuned to positive feelings, such as relief. Our findings improve the understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying empathy in diverse social contexts.