Empathy and Liaison – ScienceDaily

But why?

Such altruism has made scientists puzzled and intrigued for centuries. A new study from the University of California at Santa Barbara explores the link between genetics and the brain activity of an individual and altruistic behaviors directed at romantic partners. The team discovered that linkage-related pathways in other animals have been shown in humans and may be involved in altruism more generally. The results appear in the log Behavioral neuroscience.

Scientists currently believe that altruism has evolved into social species as a strategy for ensuring the survival of their loved ones. The idea is that genes that promote altruism will persist, perhaps not through the children of an individual but through those of their parents, who possess similar genetics. In this way, caring for your loved ones guarantees the transmission of some of your own genes.

For humans, with our complex social systems, this basic principle takes on new dimensions. "It makes sense that people are particularly committed to the well-being of their partners because they want to live long, happy and healthy," said Bianca Acevedo, a researcher at the Neuroscience Research Institute at the University of California. California to Santa Barbara. author. "And in the case of honeymooners, some will want to have children, so being disinterested with their partner is an investment in their offspring."

Altruism is an important aspect of a couple's relationship, but according to Acevedo, it has not been the subject of much badysis, especially when compared to the relationship between parents and their children. altruism is essential. "Responding to a selfless child is a gesture of utmost importance," said Acevedo.

Phenomena as nuanced as love and altruism involve a lot of chemistry. Oxytocin is a neurotransmitter that has imposed itself in the popular consciousness as a "hug hormone". And while he participates in various processes, his role in trust, empathy, and bonding is well established. The vasopressin hormone, which scientists have also related to the behavior of pairwise bonds, is less well known.

The Acevedo team recruited newlywed couples to study the correlation between genetics and a person's brain activity and the empathy that she showed towards his loving partner. The team tested on each participant two genetic variants, one involved in sensitivity to oxytocin and the other related to susceptibility to vasopressin. The researchers then asked them to answer a standardized questionnaire about their feelings about their partner and others. This gave them a measure of the general levels of empathy and altruism of each person towards their partner.

The participants then entered a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine. Although similar to standard MRI machines used by physicians to image soft tissues, fMRIs can track changes badociated with blood flow. This allows researchers to see how different parts of the brain activate in response to different types of stimuli. In this case, participants saw photos of their romantic partners, friends and strangers with different facial expressions. The researchers explained what the person on the picture felt and why, in order to elicit an emotional response.

When participants felt a strong sense of empathy with the person portrayed in the image, brain regions badociated with emotions and emotional memory shone through. "It's almost as if the brain reacted in a way to point out:" It's important, be careful, "said Acevedo.

These areas of the brain – such as the amygdala and the ventral pallidum – exhibit a particularly dense concentration of receptors for oxytocin and vasopressin, which further involves these neurotransmitters in empathy and laryngitis. ;altruism. In addition, individuals with genetic variations that make them more sensitive to these hormones have shown stronger emotional responses at all levels.

The researchers also found that brain regions specifically activated in response to a partner's face were the same as those that are essential in other animals during linkage studies and the Attachment of pairs. This suggests that our brains have dedicated pathways to attachment-related behaviors, which may be quite old. However, some of these attachment pathways showed activity even when participants saw the face of the stranger, demonstrating the complex notions of empathy and altruism at play in humans.

Acevedo continues his research on empathy, altruism and care provided to different types of couples. She is currently exploring how mind-body activities such as yoga influence how individuals respond to partners with memory problems.

"It's important that we think about these systems and behaviors beyond romance," said Acevedo. "When people think about their relationships, they tend to think that romantic love is really important, but we've forgotten some of the other fundamental and important reasons that make people together, like taking care of each other. "

"Beyond romantic love, we live together for a long time, many of us raising children together or caring for each other until old age", continued Acevedo. "And altruism is deeply rooted in our evolving, neural and genetic framework."