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Papers of the Week


Papers: 28 Dec 2019 - 3 Jan 2020

RESEARCH TYPE:
Psychology


Human Studies


2020 01 14


Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A


117


2

Editor's Pick

Altruistic behaviors relieve physical pain.

Authors

Wang Y, Ge J, Zhang H, Wang H, Xie X
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 01 14; 117(2):950-958.
PMID: 31888986.

Abstract

Engaging in altruistic behaviors is costly, but it contributes to the health and well-being of the performer of such behaviors. The present research offers a take on how this paradox can be understood. Across 2 pilot studies and 3 experiments, we showed a pain-relieving effect of performing altruistic behaviors. Acting altruistically relieved not only acutely induced physical pain among healthy adults but also chronic pain among cancer patients. Using functional MRI, we found that after individuals performed altruistic actions brain activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and bilateral insula in response to a painful shock was significantly reduced. This reduced pain-induced activation in the right insula was mediated by the neural activity in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), while the activation of the VMPFC was positively correlated with the performer's experienced meaningfulness from his or her altruistic behavior. Our findings suggest that incurring personal costs to help others may buffer the performers from unpleasant conditions.