Does the Brain React Differently to Physical and Social Suffering in Others?
Understanding and feeling what others experience is an essential ability that allows us to perceive both their physical pain and their social distress, such as rejection or humiliation. However, the brain mechanisms involved in this form of empathy remain partly mysterious. A recent experiment explored the precise role of two brain regions in this capacity: one located on the right side of the brain, just above the ear, and another located toward the front, in the center.
Researchers used a painless technique that gently stimulates these areas using a weak electric current. They observed that stimulating the first region increased participants’ sensitivity to the physical pain felt by others but, conversely, reduced their perception of social suffering. This result suggests that this part of the brain plays a key role in distinguishing between these two types of pain. In contrast, stimulating the second area produced no notable effect, suggesting that it is involved in more complex cognitive processes, such as the ability to put oneself in others’ shoes or to interpret nuanced social situations.
Social suffering, which includes experiences such as exclusion or shame, activates brain networks that are partially distinct from those involved in physical pain. It is not limited to a simple emotional reaction but also involves an assessment of context and relationships. Thus, when we see someone experiencing a socially painful situation, our brain analyzes not only their emotion but also the meaning and consequences of that situation for the person involved.
The experiment also revealed that electrical stimulation could alter how participants assessed others’ pain over time. For social suffering, the effect of stimulation was more pronounced at the beginning of the experiment, as if the brain gradually became accustomed to these images. Conversely, the perception of physical pain remained stable, or even increased slightly, indicating that this brain region enhances attention to signs of threat or danger, even in the absence of actual injury.
These findings challenge the idea that the same brain mechanisms indiscriminately process both physical and social pain in others. Instead, they show that our brain uses distinct circuits to respond to these two types of suffering, with specialized regions that modulate our reactions depending on the context. These differences could explain why some people are more sensitive to one type of pain than another and open avenues for better understanding disorders related to empathy or emotion regulation.
The ability to distinguish and respond appropriately to the suffering of others is fundamental to human interactions. This research sheds new light on the neural foundations of empathy and could inspire future therapeutic approaches for individuals who struggle to perceive or manage the emotions of others.
Information Sources
Original Reference
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-025-01388-9
Title: A causal and dissociable role for the right inferior frontal gyrus in empathy for physical and social pain
Journal: Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Authors: M. De Lillo; A. Korpal; H. Ferguson; A. K. Martin