Altruistic responses to the most vulnerable involve sensorimotor processes.

Autor:	Vickers BD; Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States., Seidler RD; Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.; University of Michigan School of Kinesiology, Ann Arbor, MI, United States., Stansfield RB; Department of Medical Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States., Weissman DH; Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States., Preston SD; Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Frontiers in psychiatry [Front Psychiatry] 2023 Mar 10; Vol. 14, pp. 1140986. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Mar 10 (Print Publication: 2023).
DOI:	10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1140986
Abstrakt:	Introduction: Why do people help strangers? Prior research suggests that empathy motivates bystanders to respond to victims in distress. However, this work has revealed relatively little about the role of the motor system in human altruism, even though altruism is thought to have originated as an active, physical response to close others in immediate need. We therefore investigated whether a motor preparatory response contributes to costly helping. Methods: To accomplish this objective, we contrasted three charity conditions that were more versus less likely to elicit an active motor response, based on the Altruistic Response Model. These conditions described charities that (1) aided neonates versus adults, (2) aided victims requiring immediate versus preparatory support, and (3) provided heroic versus nurturant aid. We hypothesized that observing neonates in immediate need would elicit stronger brain activation in motor-preparatory regions. Results: Consistent with an evolutionary, caregiving-based theory of altruism, participants donated the most to charities that provided neonates with immediate, nurturant aid. Critically, this three-way donation interaction was associated with increased BOLD signal and gray matter volume in motor-preparatory regions, which we identified in an independent motor retrieval task. Discussion: These findings advance the field of altruism by shifting the spotlight from passive emotional states toward action processes that evolved to protect the most vulnerable members of our group. Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. (Copyright © 2023 Vickers, Seidler, Stansfield, Weissman and Preston.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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