Empathy and Emotion Regulation: Uncovering Their Neural Connection
Empathy and emotion regulation are essential for navigating social interactions and maintaining emotional well-being. Empathy involves understanding or sharing another person’s emotions, while emotion regulation refers to the processes we use to manage our own emotional responses. Traditionally, these two processes have been studied separately, but emerging research suggests they may be closely intertwined.
Recent evidence points to a significant overlap in the brain mechanisms that govern both empathy and emotion regulation. Specifically, the neural networks involved in reappraisal—a key emotion regulation strategy—appear to intersect with those that support the cognitive aspects of empathy.
Key Research Questions:
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Do empathy and emotion regulation share common neural processes? In this project, we explore whether the brain systems involved in cognitive empathy (the ability to understand others’ emotions) overlap with those activated during emotion regulation through reappraisal.
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How does the neural architecture of reappraisal relate to empathy? We aim to identify shared neural pathways that support both reappraisal and the cognitive components of empathy, shedding light on how these two crucial processes might influence one another.
By investigating the neural overlap between empathy and emotion regulation, our research seeks to deepen our understanding of the brain’s social and emotional functions. This knowledge could have important implications for improving social functioning and emotional well-being in both clinical and everyday contexts.
Related publications
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