Empathy for joy recruits a broader prefrontal network than empathy for sadness; prefrontal cortex activation during both types of empathy was positively predicted by working memory capacity

Taiwo, Z., Bezdek, M., Mirabito, G., & Light, S. N. (2021). Empathy for joy recruits a broader prefrontal network than empathy for sadness and is predicted by executive functioning. Neuropsychology, 35(1), 90–102. https://doi.org/10.1037/neu0000666

Rolf Degen's take: https://twitter.com/DegenRolf/status/1346485527550320641

Abstract: Empathy encompasses the ability to contemplate and vicariously share in the emotional life of others, and is critical for social interaction, and may enhance subjective happiness.

Objective: While a few theoretical models propose that executive function may play a role in empathy, it is unknown how variation in executive function, and underlying variation in key large-scale brain network nodes, such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex node within the executive control network—or the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) node within the mentalizing/theory of mind network—may account for individual differences in empathy capacity.

Method: The relationship between individual differences in executive capacity—parsed into working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility subdomains—and magnitude of activity in a priori identified PFC subregions during a functional MRI-based ecologically valid empathy induction paradigm, was investigated. Empathic happiness (i.e., vicarious joy) and empathic concern (i.e., vicarious sadness) in response to the life circumstances of actual people were measured at separate time points as brain functional MRI was obtained. Participants also completed executive-heavy clinical neuropsychological tasks outside of the scanner.

Results: Frontopolar PFC was activated across both types of empathy. However, empathic happiness related to engagement of a much broader network of prefrontal cortex subregions relative to empathic concern: spawning frontopolar, dorsolateral, and medial aspects. PFC activation during both types of empathy was positively predicted by working memory capacity.

Conclusion: Activation in core aspects of the working memory-executive control network, and core happiness-related aspects of the mentalizing brain network (i.e., medial PFC and precuneus) predicted greater empathy capacity.