The Neuroscience of Empathy, Compassion, and Self-Compassion

1st Edition - June 19, 2018

Editors: Larry Charles Stevens, C. Chad Woodruff

Paperback ISBN:

9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 0 9 8 3 7 - 0

eBook ISBN:

9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 0 9 8 3 8 - 7

The Neuroscience of Empathy, Compassion, and Self-Compassion provides contemporary perspectives on the three related domains of empathy, compassion and self-compassion (ECS). It… Read more

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The Neuroscience of Empathy, Compassion, and Self-Compassion provides contemporary perspectives on the three related domains of empathy, compassion and self-compassion (ECS). It informs current research, stimulates further research endeavors, and encourages continued and creative philosophical and scientific inquiry into the critical societal constructs of ECS. Examining the growing number of electrocortical (EEG Power Spectral, Coherence, Evoked Potential, etc.) studies and the sizeable body of exciting neuroendocrine research (e.g., oxytocin, dopamine, etc.) that have accumulated over decades, this reference is a unique and comprehensive approach to empathy, compassion and self-compassion.

Larry Charles Stevens

Larry Stevens' primary interests are in teaching and research in the broad sub-specialty of health psychology and behavioral medicine. He coordinates a very active undergraduate and graduate research program in the psychophysiology of altered states of consciousness, of compassion, of psychotherapy techniques, and particularly in clinical hypnosis. He uses electroencephalography (EEG) and EEG neuroimaging techniques to measure and to display brain changes from a variety of states of consciousness. Dr. Stevens is the principal investigator and program coordinator of the department's National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored summer undergraduate research internships into the Social Psychophysiology of Compassion. Each summer, he leads a team of faculty mentors and eight undergraduate interns from across the country in the conduct of social and psychophysiological research into the cortical, physiological, and psychosocial underpinnings of compassionate behavior. Research outcomes are presented each year at local, regional, and national (APA) conferences.

Affiliations and expertise

Department of Psychological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA

C. Chad Woodruff

Dr. Woodruff is a Social Neuroscientist whose research aims to elucidate the brain mechanisms underlying empathy, sympathy and compassion as well as religious belief. He uses electroencephalography (EEG) to measure various brain signals, investigating how these signals relate to social neuroscience topics. Much of his research focuses on an EEG signal believed to reflect the activity of mirror neurons. These are neurons that not only code the intentions of an individual, but also seem to reflect the intentions of those with whom the individual interacts. Among the most important findings in his laboratory is that putative mirror neuron activity has a complicated relationship with empathy in which the one’s empathic abilities increase with the ability of his/her mirror neuron systems ability to distinguish self from other (self-other discrimination). Dr. Woodruff maintains a vibrant lab, typically employing 10-15 students (graduate and undergraduate) who participate in all facets of the research process.

Affiliations and expertise

Department of Psychological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA