Empathy bodyssence: temporal dynamics of sensorimotor and physiological responses and the subjective experience in synchrony with the other's suffering.
Frontiers in psychology January 1, 2024 Alejandro Troncoso, Kevin Blanco, Álvaro Rivera-Rei et al. 14 citations
Empathy involves bodily, emotional, and cognitive connections with others. Observing people in pain triggers whole-body responses, but the timing of these bodily reactions and their link to understanding others' experiences was unclear. This study introduces "bodyssence," blending "body" and "essence," to describe three temporal phases of empathetic bodily response. Thirty-five participants watched videos of extreme sportspersons having accidents while their postural sway, electrodermal activity, and heart rate were measured, followed by interviews. In the forefeel phase, participants anticipated the accident with minimal movement and high heart rate. In fullfeel, they experienced strong negative emotions and increased movement with lower heart rate. In reliefeel, emotional intensity decreased, postural control stabilized, and heart rate stayed low. Electrodermal activity remained high throughout. The findings reveal how bodily experience temporally attunes to others' pain.