Helena Hartmann
(SCAN-Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna)
Paul Forbes
(SCAN-Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna)
Markus Rütgen
(SCAN-Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna)
Claus Lamm
(SCAN-Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna)
Psychopharmacological manipulations of the opioid system reduce empathy for pain; however, whether they go beyond emotional perception as far as changing our behavior towards others has never been shown. In a preregistered study, we investigated the potential downstream effects of such manipulations on prosocial behavior and found that analgesia induced via a placebo pill reduced effortful helping. When given the opportunity to reduce the pain of another person, the placebo group made fewer prosocial choices, helped less quickly, and exerted less physical effort when helping compared to the control group. Furthermore, unpleasantness in relation to another’s pain positively correlated with subsequent prosocial behavior. Our study shows that reduced pain sensitivity via placebo analgesia does not only influence how we share and perceive other’s pain, but also crucially shapes our helping behavior. This has broad potential implications for social interactions in people under the influence of opioids or pain conditions.
Helena Hartmann
(SCAN-Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna)
Paul Forbes
(SCAN-Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna)
Markus Rütgen
(SCAN-Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna)
Claus Lamm
(SCAN-Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna)
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