Home » Opinion » Book review
Why we wince and gasp in empathy with TV heroes
By Wu Jiayin |
December 26, 2009, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
WHEN watching horror films or thrillers, people wince and gasp when seeing characters hurt or terrified.
When watching an exciting football game, people feel surges of elation or disappointment, just like the players who score a goal or miss a shot.
These feelings of empathy are triggered by mirror neurons -- "the brain cells that fill the gap between self and other by enabling some sort of simulation or inner imitation of the actions of others," explains Marco Iacoboni in his book "Mirroring People.'"
With plain words and ample illustrations, Iacoboni manages to elucidate the abstruse study on mirror neurons and their social and philosophical implications in language that lay people can understand.
Although Iacoboni claims the study of mirror neurons to be new science, the imitative impulse of people's brain has long been recognized and exploited in areas such as marketing.
The book "Buyology" by Martin Lindstrom, for example, advocates "neuromarketing" -- the kind of marketing that uses brain analysis and may give more precise information about what's really happening inside people's heads and why they take certain actions.
Based on the scientific study that people's brains echo one another's actions, even if they see these actions on TV or just read about them, Lindstrom concludes that people are more likely to buy something if the product succeeds in engaging consumers emotionally or building links to people's subconscious drives and cravings.
For example, by integrating its image, product and even color into the TV reality show "American Idol," Coke's ads received powerful response from viewers, who found themselves emotionally attached to the ad.
Obviously, neuromarketing is a concept developed on the basis of the understanding of certain neural activities, mainly those of mirror neurons.
While Iacoboni also mentions similar applications of the study of mirror neurons in marketing, he provides more fresh insights on the social and psychological implications of the study.
One aspect is personal interactions.
With mirror neurons, one can fathom "the deepest aspects of the minds of others," Iacoboni says.
This sounds a big extravagant, but it is true that people can often interpret others' faces, gestures and moods based on subtle behavioral cues.
For instance, when seeing someone reach for a cup, you can usually judge if he or she is to drink from it or is picking it up to clear the table -- as long as there are relevant cues. You might see steam rising from the cup, or you might see the person hold a cleaning cloth.
This is because mirror neurons trigger a kind of imitative impulse in one's brain that reflects what one perceives others to be doing, Iacoboni explains.
This imitative impulse also accounts for why, when people interact, they tend to synchronize their expressions and gestures subconsciously. Such body language sends the message that people understand one another well and thus makes conversation easier.
"Mimicking others is not just a form of communicating non-verbally; it helps us perceive others' expressions (and therefore their emotions) in the first place," Iacoboni observes.
Mirroring and interpretation are also crucial parts of learning.
Iacoboni cites an interesting study to illustrate. The study showed that a new-born baby began to imitate adults' expressions when he was only "41 minutes old."
And it has been found that children tend to copy what adults do rather than what they say.
So the implied meaning is obvious: when educating children, parents should pay more attention to their own deeds than their words.
The mirror neuron study also would seem to justify public concern about increasing violence in the media, which is widely believed to have a powerful negative impact on children.
When children watch violence on TV, for example, the mirror neurons in their brains promote imitation on a cellular level, thus resulting in their tendency toward violence in daily life, it is argued.
Iacoboni also touches on the medical applications of mirror neuron study (treating autistic children by stimulating their mirror neurons) and the political applications (say, adding mechanisms of empathy and identification between the people and their political representatives).
Regardless of the immediate applicability of the ideas, they shed some light on how social cognition and interaction can be improved with the help of neurophysiological study.
When watching an exciting football game, people feel surges of elation or disappointment, just like the players who score a goal or miss a shot.
These feelings of empathy are triggered by mirror neurons -- "the brain cells that fill the gap between self and other by enabling some sort of simulation or inner imitation of the actions of others," explains Marco Iacoboni in his book "Mirroring People.'"
With plain words and ample illustrations, Iacoboni manages to elucidate the abstruse study on mirror neurons and their social and philosophical implications in language that lay people can understand.
Although Iacoboni claims the study of mirror neurons to be new science, the imitative impulse of people's brain has long been recognized and exploited in areas such as marketing.
The book "Buyology" by Martin Lindstrom, for example, advocates "neuromarketing" -- the kind of marketing that uses brain analysis and may give more precise information about what's really happening inside people's heads and why they take certain actions.
Based on the scientific study that people's brains echo one another's actions, even if they see these actions on TV or just read about them, Lindstrom concludes that people are more likely to buy something if the product succeeds in engaging consumers emotionally or building links to people's subconscious drives and cravings.
For example, by integrating its image, product and even color into the TV reality show "American Idol," Coke's ads received powerful response from viewers, who found themselves emotionally attached to the ad.
Obviously, neuromarketing is a concept developed on the basis of the understanding of certain neural activities, mainly those of mirror neurons.
While Iacoboni also mentions similar applications of the study of mirror neurons in marketing, he provides more fresh insights on the social and psychological implications of the study.
One aspect is personal interactions.
With mirror neurons, one can fathom "the deepest aspects of the minds of others," Iacoboni says.
This sounds a big extravagant, but it is true that people can often interpret others' faces, gestures and moods based on subtle behavioral cues.
For instance, when seeing someone reach for a cup, you can usually judge if he or she is to drink from it or is picking it up to clear the table -- as long as there are relevant cues. You might see steam rising from the cup, or you might see the person hold a cleaning cloth.
This is because mirror neurons trigger a kind of imitative impulse in one's brain that reflects what one perceives others to be doing, Iacoboni explains.
This imitative impulse also accounts for why, when people interact, they tend to synchronize their expressions and gestures subconsciously. Such body language sends the message that people understand one another well and thus makes conversation easier.
"Mimicking others is not just a form of communicating non-verbally; it helps us perceive others' expressions (and therefore their emotions) in the first place," Iacoboni observes.
Mirroring and interpretation are also crucial parts of learning.
Iacoboni cites an interesting study to illustrate. The study showed that a new-born baby began to imitate adults' expressions when he was only "41 minutes old."
And it has been found that children tend to copy what adults do rather than what they say.
So the implied meaning is obvious: when educating children, parents should pay more attention to their own deeds than their words.
The mirror neuron study also would seem to justify public concern about increasing violence in the media, which is widely believed to have a powerful negative impact on children.
When children watch violence on TV, for example, the mirror neurons in their brains promote imitation on a cellular level, thus resulting in their tendency toward violence in daily life, it is argued.
Iacoboni also touches on the medical applications of mirror neuron study (treating autistic children by stimulating their mirror neurons) and the political applications (say, adding mechanisms of empathy and identification between the people and their political representatives).
Regardless of the immediate applicability of the ideas, they shed some light on how social cognition and interaction can be improved with the help of neurophysiological study.
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