Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Human Affective Neuroscience
- Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology
- The Cambridge Handbook of Human Affective Neuroscience
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Section I Theoretical Models of Emotion
- Section II Measuring Emotional Processes
- Section III Emotion Perception and Elicitation
- Section IV Emotional Learning and Memory
- Section V Cognition–Emotion Interactions
- Section VI Social Emotions
- Chapter 24 Empathy and Compassion
- Chapter 25 Moral Emotions
- Chapter 26 Neural Evidence for Cultural Variation in Emotion
- Chapter 27 Neurodevelopment of Emotional Processes in Adolescent Social Contexts
- Section VII Individual Differences
- Index
- References
Chapter 24 - Empathy and Compassion
from Section VI - Social Emotions
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 September 2025
Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Human Affective Neuroscience
- Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology
- The Cambridge Handbook of Human Affective Neuroscience
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Section I Theoretical Models of Emotion
- Section II Measuring Emotional Processes
- Section III Emotion Perception and Elicitation
- Section IV Emotional Learning and Memory
- Section V Cognition–Emotion Interactions
- Section VI Social Emotions
- Chapter 24 Empathy and Compassion
- Chapter 25 Moral Emotions
- Chapter 26 Neural Evidence for Cultural Variation in Emotion
- Chapter 27 Neurodevelopment of Emotional Processes in Adolescent Social Contexts
- Section VII Individual Differences
- Index
- References
Summary
In this chapter, we focus on the neuronal networks underlying the socio-affective capacities empathy and compassion. We first provide definitions of empathy and compassion and give an overview of the historical development in social neuroscience related to empathy and compassion research, with a focus on differentiating between empathy, empathic distress, compassion, and related concepts of social understanding like Theory of Mind. We then examine the neuronal networks underlying these distinct social capacities and discuss the latest discoveries in this field. Next, we turn to the plasticity of the social brain and compare training approaches in their efficacy in improving socio-affective and socio-cognitive capacities. This is followed by the exploration of how psychopathological symptoms are differentially related to empathy, compassion, and socio-cognitive skills. Lastly, we conclude the main findings of this chapter and provide questions for future neuroscientific and psychological research on empathy and compassion.
Keywords
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Handbook of Human Affective Neuroscience , pp. 485 - 502Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
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