Induction of Empathy by the Smell of Anxiety

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0005987
• Publication Date: 2009-06-23T22:57:50Z
• Authors: Alexander Prehn-K...; Christian Wiesner; Til Ole Bergmann; Stephan Wolff; Olav Jansen; Hubertus Maximili...; Roman Ferstl; Bettina M. Pause
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Brain Mapping; Time Factors; Science; Q; Emotions; R; Brain; Anxiety; 16. Peace & justice; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Smell; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Odorants; Medicine; Humans; Female; Empathy; Research Article

The communication of stress/anxiety between conspecifics through chemosensory signals has been documented in many vertebrates and invertebrates. Here, we investigate how anxiety conveyed by the sweat humans (N = 49) awaiting an academic examination are processed human brain, as compared to control obtained from same donors a sport condition. stimuli were pooled according donation condition administered 28 participants (14 males) synchronously breathing via olfactometer. perceived with low intensity accordingly only about half odor presentations detected participants. fMRI results (event-related design) show that activate brain areas involved processing social emotional (fusiform gyrus), regulation empathic feelings (insula, precuneus, cingulate cortex). In addition, neuronal activity within attentional (thalamus, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex) (cerebellum, vermis) systems observed. perception seems automatically recruit empathy-related resources. Even though could not attentively differentiate stimuli, contagion be effectively mediated olfactory system.