Cultural modulation of the neural correlates of emotional pain perception: The role of other-focusedness

Bobby K. Cheon; Dong Mi Im; Tokiko Harada; Ji Sook Kim; Vani A. Mathur; Jason M. Scimeca; Todd B. Parrish; Hyun Wook Park; Joan Y. Chiao

doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2013.03.018

Cultural modulation of the neural correlates of emotional pain perception: The role of other-focusedness

Bobby K. Cheon^*, Dong Mi Im, Tokiko Harada, Ji Sook Kim, Vani A. Mathur, Jason M. Scimeca, Todd B. Parrish, Hyun Wook Park, Joan Y. Chiao

^*Corresponding author for this work

Radiology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

54 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cultures vary in the extent to which they emphasize group members to habitually attend to the needs, perspectives, and internal experiences of others compared to the self. Here we examined the influence that collectivistic and individualistic cultural environments may play on the engagement of the neurobiological processes that underlie the perception and processing of emotional pain. Using cross-cultural fMRI, Korean and Caucasian-American participants passively viewed scenes of others in situations of emotional pain and distress. Regression analyses revealed that the value of other-focusedness was associated with heightened neural response within the affective pain matrix (i.e. anterior cingulate cortex and insula) to a greater extent for Korean relative to Caucasian-American participants. These findings suggest that mindsets promoting attunement to the subjective experience of others may be especially critical for pain-related and potentially empathic processing within collectivistic relative to individualistic cultural environments.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	1177-1186
Number of pages	10
Journal	Neuropsychologia
Volume	51
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2013.03.018
State	Published - Jun 2013

Funding

We thank G. Bebko, D. Bridge, K. Rotella, L. Hechtman, N. Pornpattananangkul, and the KAIST Image Systems Computing Laboratory for helpful discussion. This work was supported by National Science Foundation grants BCS-0720312 and BCS-0722326 to J.Y.C and support from the National Science Foundation East Asia Pacific Summer Institute Fellowship and Korea Science and Engineering Foundation Fellowship to B.K.C. , and by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education , Grant #R205B080027 to Northwestern University. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or U.S. Department of Education.

Keywords

Cross-cultural comparisons
Emotion
Empathy
FMRI
Pain processing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive Neuroscience
Behavioral Neuroscience

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10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2013.03.018

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title = "Cultural modulation of the neural correlates of emotional pain perception: The role of other-focusedness",

abstract = "Cultures vary in the extent to which they emphasize group members to habitually attend to the needs, perspectives, and internal experiences of others compared to the self. Here we examined the influence that collectivistic and individualistic cultural environments may play on the engagement of the neurobiological processes that underlie the perception and processing of emotional pain. Using cross-cultural fMRI, Korean and Caucasian-American participants passively viewed scenes of others in situations of emotional pain and distress. Regression analyses revealed that the value of other-focusedness was associated with heightened neural response within the affective pain matrix (i.e. anterior cingulate cortex and insula) to a greater extent for Korean relative to Caucasian-American participants. These findings suggest that mindsets promoting attunement to the subjective experience of others may be especially critical for pain-related and potentially empathic processing within collectivistic relative to individualistic cultural environments.",

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note = "Funding Information: We thank G. Bebko, D. Bridge, K. Rotella, L. Hechtman, N. Pornpattananangkul, and the KAIST Image Systems Computing Laboratory for helpful discussion. This work was supported by National Science Foundation grants BCS-0720312 and BCS-0722326 to J.Y.C and support from the National Science Foundation East Asia Pacific Summer Institute Fellowship and Korea Science and Engineering Foundation Fellowship to B.K.C. , and by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education , Grant #R205B080027 to Northwestern University. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or U.S. Department of Education. ",

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AU - Scimeca, Jason M.

AU - Parrish, Todd B.

AU - Park, Hyun Wook

AU - Chiao, Joan Y.

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N2 - Cultures vary in the extent to which they emphasize group members to habitually attend to the needs, perspectives, and internal experiences of others compared to the self. Here we examined the influence that collectivistic and individualistic cultural environments may play on the engagement of the neurobiological processes that underlie the perception and processing of emotional pain. Using cross-cultural fMRI, Korean and Caucasian-American participants passively viewed scenes of others in situations of emotional pain and distress. Regression analyses revealed that the value of other-focusedness was associated with heightened neural response within the affective pain matrix (i.e. anterior cingulate cortex and insula) to a greater extent for Korean relative to Caucasian-American participants. These findings suggest that mindsets promoting attunement to the subjective experience of others may be especially critical for pain-related and potentially empathic processing within collectivistic relative to individualistic cultural environments.

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Cultural modulation of the neural correlates of emotional pain perception: The role of other-focusedness

Abstract

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