Pain sensitivity mediates the relationship between empathy for pain and psychopathic traits
Abstract Psychopathic traits and antisocial behavior show a well-documented relationship with decreased empathic processing. It has been proposed that a reduced own experience of pain leads to perceiving others’ pain as less severe, which potentially facilitates exploitative, aggressive behavior tow...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87892-x |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832571782970736640 |
|---|---|
| author | Dimana V. Atanassova Inti A. Brazil Christiaan E. A. Tomassen Joukje M. Oosterman |
| author_facet | Dimana V. Atanassova Inti A. Brazil Christiaan E. A. Tomassen Joukje M. Oosterman |
| author_sort | Dimana V. Atanassova |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Psychopathic traits and antisocial behavior show a well-documented relationship with decreased empathic processing. It has been proposed that a reduced own experience of pain leads to perceiving others’ pain as less severe, which potentially facilitates exploitative, aggressive behavior towards others. We evaluated the link between psychopathic traits, experimental pain sensitivity and empathy for pain in a community sample (n = 74). Participants rated images depicting painful situations through either a self-centered or other-oriented perspective. Psychopathic traits (Interpersonal, Affective, Lifestyle and Antisocial) were assessed with the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, and pain threshold (cold, electrical, pressure) and tolerance (cold, electrical) were measured. A Bayesian Structural Equation Modelling approach indicated that self-centered pain estimates and sensitivity to electrical pain predicted judgments of others’ pain (‘pain empathy’). The superordinate psychopathy factor, encompassing the overlap in underlying features of the construct, was shown to indirectly affect pain empathy through the mediating role of electrical pain sensitivity. These results provide support for the notion that a reduced sensitivity to own pain underlies diminished pain empathy, and may hold important implications for understanding the mechanisms of antisocial behavior in psychopathy. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-42ca18b529cb4987b88caf3f9b933ebf |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-42ca18b529cb4987b88caf3f9b933ebf2025-02-02T12:17:15ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-01-0115111210.1038/s41598-025-87892-xPain sensitivity mediates the relationship between empathy for pain and psychopathic traitsDimana V. Atanassova0Inti A. Brazil1Christiaan E. A. Tomassen2Joukje M. Oosterman3Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud UniversityDonders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud UniversityDonders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud UniversityDonders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud UniversityAbstract Psychopathic traits and antisocial behavior show a well-documented relationship with decreased empathic processing. It has been proposed that a reduced own experience of pain leads to perceiving others’ pain as less severe, which potentially facilitates exploitative, aggressive behavior towards others. We evaluated the link between psychopathic traits, experimental pain sensitivity and empathy for pain in a community sample (n = 74). Participants rated images depicting painful situations through either a self-centered or other-oriented perspective. Psychopathic traits (Interpersonal, Affective, Lifestyle and Antisocial) were assessed with the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, and pain threshold (cold, electrical, pressure) and tolerance (cold, electrical) were measured. A Bayesian Structural Equation Modelling approach indicated that self-centered pain estimates and sensitivity to electrical pain predicted judgments of others’ pain (‘pain empathy’). The superordinate psychopathy factor, encompassing the overlap in underlying features of the construct, was shown to indirectly affect pain empathy through the mediating role of electrical pain sensitivity. These results provide support for the notion that a reduced sensitivity to own pain underlies diminished pain empathy, and may hold important implications for understanding the mechanisms of antisocial behavior in psychopathy.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87892-xPsychopathyEmpathyPain sensitivitySRPQST |
| spellingShingle | Dimana V. Atanassova Inti A. Brazil Christiaan E. A. Tomassen Joukje M. Oosterman Pain sensitivity mediates the relationship between empathy for pain and psychopathic traits Scientific Reports Psychopathy Empathy Pain sensitivity SRP QST |
| title | Pain sensitivity mediates the relationship between empathy for pain and psychopathic traits |
| title_full | Pain sensitivity mediates the relationship between empathy for pain and psychopathic traits |
| title_fullStr | Pain sensitivity mediates the relationship between empathy for pain and psychopathic traits |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pain sensitivity mediates the relationship between empathy for pain and psychopathic traits |
| title_short | Pain sensitivity mediates the relationship between empathy for pain and psychopathic traits |
| title_sort | pain sensitivity mediates the relationship between empathy for pain and psychopathic traits |
| topic | Psychopathy Empathy Pain sensitivity SRP QST |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87892-x |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dimanavatanassova painsensitivitymediatestherelationshipbetweenempathyforpainandpsychopathictraits AT intiabrazil painsensitivitymediatestherelationshipbetweenempathyforpainandpsychopathictraits AT christiaaneatomassen painsensitivitymediatestherelationshipbetweenempathyforpainandpsychopathictraits AT joukjemoosterman painsensitivitymediatestherelationshipbetweenempathyforpainandpsychopathictraits |