In 2 pilot studies and 3 experiments, together involving more than 280 people, researchers report that people who acted altruistically experienced less pain than control participants under the same conditions; brain activity scans suggested that activity in the ventral region of the brain's medial prefrontal cortex was correlated with both altruistic behavior and diminished activity in brain regions associated with pain, according to the authors.
Article # 19-11861: "Altruistic behaviors relieve physical pain," by Yilu Wang, Jianqiao Ge, Hanqi Zhang, Haixia Wang, and Xiaofei Xie.
MEDIA CONTACT: Xiaofei Xie, Peking University, Beijing, CHINA; e-mail: xiaofei@pku.edu.cn
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences