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Adolescent empathy predicts reduced neural responses to social rejection in adulthood

delete2026-07-06
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J
Jingrun Lin *
J
Jacob Moore
N
Nathan Field
J
Jessica Stern
J
Joseph Allen
J
James Coan
DOI:10.1017/S095457942610131Xdelete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Objective:Adolescence is a sensitive period for social and neural development. Empathic growth during adolescence has been linked to improved prosocial behavior in adulthood. This study examined how adolescent empathy relates to adulthood neural responses to rejection.Method:Participants (N = 77; 42 females; 52% White) were drawn from a demographically diverse community sample and assessed annually from ages 13 to 21. Each year; participants’ empathic support provision toward a close friend was evaluated during an observationally coded support task. At approximately age 24; participants completed the Cyberball social exclusion paradigm while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).Results:Whole-brain exploratory analyses revealed that greater empathic support provision during adolescence was associated with reduced activation in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sACC) during social exclusion in early adulthood (Cohen’s d = 0.12); suggesting a contribution of empathy provision to rejection-related neural responses later in life. The effect was not driven by felt distress during social exclusion; indicating that adolescent empathic support provision is potentially associated with neural responses to social exclusion independent of subjective distress.Conclusion:These findings underscore the long-term links of empathy to adult social processes and may inform interventions aimed at enhancing interpersonal functioning and resilience.
Keywords:
adolescence
Cyberball
empathy
fMRI
rejection sensitivity
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Development and Psychopathology cover
Development and Psychopathology
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