Dlaczego odczuwamy cudzy ból, ziewamy na widok ziewania i przejmujemy cudze emocje? Odpowiedź kryje się głęboko w naszym mózgu – w neuronach lustrzanych, które sprawiają, iż bezwiednie uczymy się przez obserwację i chłoniemy nastroje z otoczenia. Jak to działa? O tym w najnowszym artykule Mai Godzisz, który przeczytamy w letnim numerze AimHigh Magazine. Przeczytajcie!
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Mirror neurons – the reason for our empathy
Have you ever wondered how we can empathize with other people’s emotions? Why do we yawn when we see someone next to us do it? Or when we feel anxious seeing other people stressing out even though everything was just alright? The answer is stuck deep in our brains- in the so-called mirror neurons.
Mirror neurons are a special type of neurons which are activated not only when we are doing something ourselves but also when we see someone else doing the same thing. It’s almost like our brain is pretending to be doing something even if it is only watching. They were discovered in the 90s when during the research on monkeys’ brains. The scientists noticed that the same neurons were activated both when the monkey was reaching for food and when it was watching the human doing the same. Soon it turned out that a similar phenomenon occurred in people and it has a huge impact on our social life.
Due to mirror neurons, we can learn by observing. That’s why children follow their parents and we learn new skills by watching how others do it. But also these neurons are the foundation of our empathy. When we see someone suffering our brain is activated as if we were experiencing pain. That is why we can sympathize, understand others’ emotions and build deep relationships.
However, mirror neurons also have their bad side. If they can reflect good emotions and behaviors that means they can also imitate the bad ones. Being in an environment full of violence, screaming and anxiety our brain subconsciously acquires these patterns. That is why children who were brought up in toxic houses often repeat the same pattern that they used to experience, even if they strongly want to avoid them. Same in a friend group, if we are surrounded by people filled with anger, sarcasm and complaint we start to feel and act the same even if we don’t understand why. The brain learns this by imitation without us being aware of this.
Mirror neurons show us how much we are social by nature. We are made for being in relationships, compassion and mutual learning. But also we experience others’ influence on a really deep level. That’s why it is worth thinking about with whom we spend our time and who we are observing. Because the brain – even if we don’t say or do anything- absorbs the atmosphere, emotions and behaviours of the environment. So we better choose wisely, not only for our mental health but also for the well-being of our brain.
Maja Godzisz (3b)
