We Walked around til the Moon got Full like a PlateChanges in Latitudes: synesthesia
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Some people really do feel your pain
Julie Steenhuysen
Reuters
Monday, 18 June 2007
Reuters
Monday, 18 June 2007
The researchers suggest there is a link between our sense of touch and empathy
Some people experience the physical sensation of touch just by watching someone else being touched, say British researchers, who suggest the ability is an extreme form of empathy.
Michael Banissy and Dr Jamie Ward of the University College London's psychology department report their findings online ahead of print publication in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
They say watching someone being touched triggers the same part of the brain as actual touch, and this connection helps explain how we understand what other people are feeling.
"It suggests there is a link between certain aspects of the tactile system and empathy," says Banissy.
People who experience a tactile sense of touch when they see another person being touched have what is called mirror-touch synaesthesia.
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1 comment:
Hi,
I appreciate your comment! What kind of synesthesia do you experience? It's really very fascinating to me. Ironically - as I mentioned that I'm working on my Masters thesis in synesthesia - I am working with Michael Banissy, one of the authors of the publication you mention in this blog. We are currently extending his previous research with Jamie Ward.
Thanks for the links - very interesting as I navigate through.
Cheers!
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