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. This study investigated 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 multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA), we examined the neural and behavioral mechanisms underlying empathy in these contexts. Participants observed video stimuli featuring individuals with hemiplegia performing hand movements, such as grasping a human hand or an object (a plastic bottle), using either their hemiplegic or non-hemiplegic hands. Behavioral results showed observing grasping movements performed by the hemiplegic hand elicited stronger negative empathic feelings than those performed by the non-hemiplegic hand, regardless of the grasping targets. Positive empathic feelings were more pronounced while observing the hemiplegic hand grasping the human hand than the object. Furthermore, classification approaches in MVPA revealed that parts of the mirror neuron system and mentalizing networks distinguished empathic responses to grasping the human hand and the object commonly across the hemiplegic and the non-hemiplegic hands conditions. Additionally, the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) more accurately classified empathic responses to hemiplegic than non-hemiplegic grasping movements. Representational similarity analysis revealed that brain regions associated with affective empathy were specifically attuned to feelings of relief involved in the grasping movements across conditions. These findings suggest that both affective and cognitive empathic brain systems are mutually engaged when empathizing with individuals with hemiplegia who face complex challenges. The dorsal MPFC likely plays a key role in facilitating precise empathic responses to the challenges of hemiplegic movements. Moreover, the affective system is particularly fine-tuned to positive feelings, such as relief. Our findings advance understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying empathy toward individuals with different characteristics.