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*Photo Contest* Moved by the Pain

Scientists tell the story of their research in ONE image, in the AXA Research Fund Photo Contest. Vote for your favorite!

“The hammer rushes through the air, heading full-force for the delicate finger… (Cringe!)”
– Giulia Bucchioni

Moved by the Pain

In the moment before a painful situation strikes—a hammer smashing a finger, say—your brain responds to the anticipated pain, whether that finger is yours or not. In both cases, it triggers motor responses, like freezing or avoidance. Dr. Giulia Bucchioni’s preliminary results show that, for both the person in danger and the one empathizing with another’s pain, their social relations and self-protective responses influence the motor behavior displayed. She aims to better understand how our body and emotional controls interact, and the mechanisms involved when something is amiss.

 

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Dr. Giulia Bucchioni’s Research Project:

Study of the motor correlate in the functional model of empathy for pain

 

Science is Beautiful!

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