Titel
Only empathy-related traits, not being mimicked or endorphin release, influence social closeness and prosocial behavior
Autor*in
Robin I. M. Dunbar
Social and Evolutionary Neuroscience Research Group, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford
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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.
Stichwort
EndocrinologyPsychology
Objekt-Typ
Sprache
Englisch [eng]
Persistent identifier
Erschienen in
Titel
Scientific Reports
Band
13
ISSN
2045-2322
Erscheinungsdatum
2023
Publication
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Erscheinungsdatum
2023
Zugänglichkeit
Rechte
Rechteangabe
© The Author(s) 2023
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