Empathy in animals

[melluransa]

Animals even as "simple" as rats may be able to feel empathy. Loose rats free trapped rats -- choosing to do so even over the offer of food. They don't free a fake rat, and they express no interest in freeing when the box is empty. <3 This suggests that empathy is a primal thing, programmed in our limbic system of basic emotions and instinct. The

Comments

[steinsgrrl]

Hearing things like this makes me wonder about the humans who don't seem to have empathy. What happened to them? Are they just miswired? Or is everyone born with empathy but it becomes suppressed by something environmental. Interesting topic!

[melluransa]

Yeah! Dissociative emotion disorders and personality disorders... As with most things in life, it's probably an independent and unique interaction of congenital and environmental factors. Sure, emotion is tied to specific structures in the brain, and if they are damaged or otherwise dysfunctional, it may result in or offer a predisposition to having disordered emotion. And then maybe something environmental happens to trigger an emotional disorder full on. But then again, I know that when something in the brain called the septum is damaged, people have fits of rage for no reason. It's like an on/off switch

[steinsgrrl]

Oh yes, exactly. I think of this when it comes to emotional disorders and personality disorders but also when it comes to specific sexual kinks. I've watched the strangest things, trying to figure out what made people interested in them and what made them erotic, and I still haven't figured most of it out, obviously. I don't like to associate kinks with disorders, mind you, I just think there's a predisposition to being open to something like that, but I'm also curious about the environmental factors that would influence those interests/behaviors.

Anatomical structures of the brain and chemicals at neuron synapses makes me think of prenatal conditions. Was there something that could have been prevented and we just don't know it yet? It's just very interesting.

[melluransa]

Sexual things are very primal! Things considered deviant... Man, I don't know. For example, necrophilia. In reality, people are programmed with a desire to procreate, but a dead body cannot do so. So, what's the attraction then? And necrophilia is also exhibited in some animals sometimes, who can probably tell with their sense of smell that their partner is dead. Really makes you wonder.

Prenatal stuff, yeah! Part of the mystery goes back to our original question of "is it genetics or environment," because things get really complicated and it's impossible to tease apart their influences. We don't know concrete causes to things - especially complicated things like personality and emotion - so we don't even know how to prevent it. And it could happen anywhere along development too! The brain matures all your life; it's very dynamic. Throw environmental factors in there and it's really neat and interesting, but so complicated.

[zeph317toho]

Then why does my dog have no empathy toward me? *sobs and wails* Of course, the Chihuahuas are angry dogs, she always informs me.

But seriously, this is really interesting. Thanks for the link!

[melluransa]

...I don't know! ....hug? I offer endless consolation hugs~