I
feel your pain
Page
4
 ...not
only see how empathy is expressed neurologically, but are able to
find out the explanations for the information they’ve learned
from psychological empathy testing. For instance, it’s long
been believed, based on survey evaluations, that women are more
empathetic than men. According to Baron-Cohen, women average about
ten points higher than men on EQ scores, the emotional equivalent
of an IQ test. That’s why Singer’s pain study focused
on women. “They are known for being more empathetic but there
is no brain scan evidence of it,” she said.
But there may soon be. Singer’s latest work is will switch
the roles between the men and women studied to see if men show a
similar empathic response. Baron-Cohen is wrapping up a study that
uses MRIs to show the difference in empathetic response between
men and women. They hope that through brain imaging, they will answer
the question of whether there is an actual biological difference
in both how and to what extent men and women feel empathy.
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photo credit: www1.va.gov |
