Frans B. M. de Waal
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262016612
- eISBN:
- 9780262298612
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262016612.003.0006
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience
This chapter focuses on reactions similar to empathy in animals. It presents the similarity of bodily synchronization between primates and human beings through the example of chimpanzees, who yawn ...
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This chapter focuses on reactions similar to empathy in animals. It presents the similarity of bodily synchronization between primates and human beings through the example of chimpanzees, who yawn seeing another chimpanzee yawn just as human beings do, and reveals the existence of empathy in animals through experiments on rodents. Preconcern is a phenomenon where there is a blind attraction of an organism toward other distressed organisms to make contact and to comfort them. This chapter discusses the theory of mind mechanism in animals, where the animals copy each others’ emotions to make emotional contact. Despite the studies revealing spontaneous consolation among apes, humans are still depicted as the only true altruistic species.Less
This chapter focuses on reactions similar to empathy in animals. It presents the similarity of bodily synchronization between primates and human beings through the example of chimpanzees, who yawn seeing another chimpanzee yawn just as human beings do, and reveals the existence of empathy in animals through experiments on rodents. Preconcern is a phenomenon where there is a blind attraction of an organism toward other distressed organisms to make contact and to comfort them. This chapter discusses the theory of mind mechanism in animals, where the animals copy each others’ emotions to make emotional contact. Despite the studies revealing spontaneous consolation among apes, humans are still depicted as the only true altruistic species.
