Gender Differences in Feelings of Empathy and Revenge

Empathy is the ability to share feelings with others. Current models of empathy state that the observation or imagination of another person in an emotional state automatically activates a representation of that state in the observer. Imaging studies show, for instance, that similar activations in the brain occur when a subject experiences pain or observes another person in pain. So it is thought that the same neuronal systems underlie both our own experience of pain and our ability to empathize.

In the present study (performed at University College of London and California Institute of Technology) empathic response was inferred from the measurement of increased activation in the 'pain network' of the brain when subjects observed another person receiving a painful stimulation (an electric shock.) As expected, subjects displayed empathic responses when they observed others in pain. And the level of response was correlated with subjects' scores on standard empathy scales.

In order to investigate whether empathic responses vary depending on the perceived fairness of others, subjects were induced to perceive another person as fair or unfair based on their play in a simple game. The subject and another person (an actor) played a version of the Prisoner's Dilemma game in which the actor was instructed to make either a 'fair' or 'unfair' response in the game.

Then the subject observed the actor receiving painful stimulation. Responses showed a marked difference in the sexes. Men subjects showed no empathy when viewing an unfair player in pain but a significant response when viewing a fair player in pain. Women subjects, however, showed significant levels of empathy when viewing either fair or unfair players in pain, with only a slight decrease for the unfair player.

The researchers then investigated activation in the 'reward' system of the brain looking for evidence of a desire for revenge. Again a marked difference in the sexes was observed. Men, but not women, showed a greater response in activation when perceiving the unfair player receiving pain compared to the fair player. And, for men, this response correlated with the expressed desire for revenge.

The authors conclude that a neurobiological foundation exists for our preferences to reward fairness and punish unfairness and the social dynamics that derive from these feelings. They also speculate that the observed gender differences may indicate a biological mechanism underpinning the predominant role of men in enforcing justice and punishment in society.

Ref: Science 26-Jan-2006 Pg 466