Decreased Empathic Responses to the ‘Lucky Guy’ in Love: the Effect of Intrasexual Competition

• Main Authors: Li eZheng, Fangxiao eZhang, Chunli eWei, Jialin eXu, Qianfeng eWang, Lei eZhu, Ian eRoberts, Xiuyan eGuo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2016-05-01
• Series: Frontiers in Psychology
• Subjects: fMRI; AI; mPFC; intrasexual competition; Pain empathy; AMCC
• Online Access: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00660/full
• ISSN: 1664-1078

People have a greater desire to date highly attractive partners, which induces intrasexual competition between same-sex individuals. The present study used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to explore whether and how intrasexual competition modulates pain empathy for a same-sex rival and the underlying neural mechanism. Participants were scanned while processing the pain of a same-sex ‘lucky guy’ who had an attractive partner and one with a plain partner. The results revealed that participants reported lower pain intensity for the lucky guy. Neurally, reduced pain-related activations in anterior insula and anterior mid-cingulate cortex and increased activations in right superior frontal gyrus and medial prefrontal gyrus were found for the lucky guy compared to the one with a plain partner. Right superior frontal gyrus and medial prefrontal gyrus activations could predict participants’ subsequent pain intensity ratings for the lucky guy. These findings suggest intrasexual competition can modulate normal empathic responses.