Document Type
Article Presentation
Original Publication Date
2024
Date of Submission
March 2024
Abstract
Empathy is the ability for human beings, as well as all other mammals, to understand the mental state of another person on an emotional level. It allows us to feel compassion and promote the well-being of those around us. Impaired empathic abilities lead to severe negative social consequences and influence the development and treatment of several psychiatric disorders, specifically in disorders such as antisocial personality disorder. Furthermore, empathy has been shown to play a crucial role in moral and prosocial behavior. In neuroscience and psychiatry research, the serotonin system has been shown to be involved in modulating empathy and moral behavior.
However the relative contribution of the various serotonin receptor subtypes to is still quite unknown to science. Empathy deficits are clinically relevant because of evidence that a higher number of depressive episodes is associated with a significant impairment in the sufferer's perspective-taking abilities. This suggests that the ability to feel empathy is increasingly distorted as depression progresses.
The researches claim the following as their hypothesis: “We hypothesize that psilocybin impairs cognitive empathy for negative stimuli as shown in the reading the mind in the eyes test, whereas it increases emotional empathy. Further, we hypothesize that psilocybin reduces utilitarian choice of action in personal moral dilemmas.” (Pokorny, 2017)
Rights
© The Author(s)