Meta & Fysikken: Afsnit 110: Empati - Hvad betyder det egentlig?
En lidt længere sommer special, hvor vi dykker ned i noget der måske kan være lidt sværere at slå to streger under. Facit er ikke så eksakt!
Her er Karinas noter til dagens afsnit:
Empati Definition:
The ability to imagine oneself as another person is a sophisticated process. However, the basic capacity to recognize emotions in others may be innate[5] and may be achieved unconsciously. Empathy is not all-or-nothing; rather, a person can be more or less empathic toward another and empirical research supports a variety of interventions that are able to improve empathy
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empathy
Man kan skelne mellem
Empati: Evnen til at forstå og dele andre følelser. At sætte sig selv i en anden persons sted. Man føler det samme som dem man har empati med. (Man kan ikke have empati med sig selv).
Medfølelse: At man føler med nogen (man føler ikke det samme. Ens medfølelse er rettet mod en person og de følelser de har).
Sympati: At man har sympati for nogen.
Der er meget konflikt i disse definitioner, jeg tror heller ikke at der er hårde linier imellem de forskellige begreber.
Fælles er at man forstår et andet menneske.
Evnen til Empati er indfødt i os.
Mirror Neurons:
Er ikke nogen bestemte neuroner.
Når man laver en handling, så lyser bestemte steder i hjernen op. Når man ser nogen andre gøre disse samme handlinger, så lyser disse steder i hjernen igen op. Det er en spejling og disse neuroner kaldes spejl-neuroner.
Dette ses både i dyr og mennesker.
Selve dettte system bunder nok i hvordan vi lærer fra andre. We model the people around us and other people model from us.
Den sociale Hjerne:
We are wired to see faces. We are looking for social connection / social safety.
Social Pain - feels like physical pain
Social good feelings - activate pleasure paths in the brain
=> which gives us social sensitivity.
Hvad er Empati biokemisk set?
The neurobiology of empathy involves a complex interplay of brain regions and neurotransmitters, notably oxytocin, which enhances social cognition and empathy. Mirror neurons, found in the premotor and parietal cortices, are also crucial for understanding and sharing actions and emotions with others. Empathy is linked to various brain areas, including the limbic system, and involves both positive and negative emotions
Key aspects of the neurochemistry of empathy:
Oxytocin:
This neuropeptide is a "morality molecule" that promotes social bonding, love, and empathy.
Mirror Neurons:
These specialized neurons fire when we perform an action or when we observe someone else performing the same action, contributing to our understanding of others' intentions and actions.
Limbic System:
This area of the brain, responsible for emotions and bonding, plays a significant role in empathy.
Prefrontal Cortex:
Areas like the dorsal and ventral medial prefrontal cortex are involved in cognitive empathy, allowing us to understand and interpret others' mental states.
Other Neurotransmitters:
While oxytocin is prominent, other neurotransmitters and hormones, like cortisol, also influence social interactions and empathy.
Genetics:
A small percentage of the variation in empathy between individuals is due to genetic factors
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Degeres of Empaty
Man kan være mere eller mindre empatisk over for andre. Ofte har vi et Bias, som hindrer os i at føle med alle.
BIASES
Empathy is triggered
-If something is right in front of us
-If something is familiar to us / family
-If something resonates with past experiences
... These we call bright spots.
We all have blind spots. Extending Empathy (growing your empathy) is giving attention and focus to blind spots.
-People you tend to avoid => often because they are difficult to understand/empathize with, because they and their experiences are different from you.
=> More effort needed to understand and the brain/ppl are lazy.
Empaty Gap:
An empathy gap, sometimes referred to as an empathy bias, is a breakdown or reduction in empathy (the ability to recognize, understand, and share another's thoughts and feelings) where it might otherwise be expected to occur. Empathy gaps may occur due to a failure in the process of empathizing[1] or as a consequence of stable personality characteristics,[2][3][4] and may reflect either a lack of ability or motivation to empathize.
Empathy gaps can be interpersonal (toward others) or intrapersonal (toward the self, e.g. when predicting one's own future preferences). A great deal of social psychological research has focused on intergroup empathy gaps, their underlying psychological and neural mechanisms, and their implications for downstream behavior (e.g. prejudice toward outgroup members).
Film/Bøger er Empathy machines!
There are 2 separate sets of empathy networks in the brain
1) Feeling: Mirroring emotions and reading emotions. Imagine intensely what is being felt. (zooming in - can be overwhelming)
2) Thinking: Mentalizing the though of another. Why are there these feelings? (zooming out - distancing your emotions by factualizing)
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EVERYTHING STARTS WITH ATTENTION / OPMÆRKSOMHED!
Uden det kan man slet ikke starte empatien.
Less empathy in the world, perhaps because we give our attention away to our phones.
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Empathy is what enables you to understand another point of view.
A polarized society has a lack of empathy.
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Selvom vi med rette ser empati som et personlighedstræk, er det også en evne, der kan blive aktiveret gennem sociale oplevelser.
Når vi identificerer os med en gruppe ofre, fornemmer vi et 'vi', der knytter os til medlemmerne af gruppen.Vi ved, at både empati og identifikation med en anden gruppe fremmer positive relationer til andre.
"Vi fandt, at undervisningen om holocaust og turen til Auschwitz øgede elevernes tendens til at identificere sig med og tage jødernes perspektiv sammenlignet med de elever, der ikke deltog.
Begge grupper udviste dog lige stor empatisk bekymring."
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Psykopater og mangel på empati.
Et forsøg med Psykopater og alm. mennesker: Deres hjerner scannet mens at de så nogen komme til skade. Alm. menneskers hjerner lyste op i bestemte områder. Psykopaters hjerne lyste meget mindre (mindre områder og mindre intenst).
Så gentog de forsøget og bad test personerne om at prøve at føle med dem de så. Viola. Begge gruppers hjerner lyste lige meget op.
Måske er psykopati når man har valgt ikke at føle empati-
Nævnt i denne video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP_kNs198Zg
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https://www.sciencealert.com/how-psychopaths-process-pain-could-explain-their-lack-of-empathy
:Research has shown that lower levels of empathy for other people can be influenced by a higher tolerance for pain. If someone does not understand the feelings of pain the same way as other people, they probably don't understand the pain that other people may be experiencing.
Also, a 2020 review showed that the brain networks used in processing pain are also used to process empathy. This could mean that if people higher in psychopathy don't feel as much pain themselves, their perceptions of other people's pain could also be reduced via this shared network.
Just because you show higher psychopathic traits does not necessarily mean you are going to be the lead character of your own true crime documentary, though. In fact, recent research, including a 2022 study, noted psychopathic traits can be positive and help people regulate their emotions.
Surgeons and other medical professionals show high levels of psychopathic traits, particularly the stress immunity part of the personality trait.
Perhaps this is what allows medical professionals high in psychopathic traits to stay calm under pressure, allowing them to make quick, rational decisions without being overwhelmed by stress
https://videnskab.dk/krop-sundhed/skanninger-afsloerer-hvad-psykopaters-hjerner-har-til-faelles
Gustave Mark Gilbert QuotesI think I've come close to defining it: a lack of empathy. It's the one characteristic that connects all the defendants. A genuine incapacity to feel with their fellow man. Evil, I think, is the absence of empathy.
( 1950 book The Psychology of Dictatorship)