Differing Empathy in Vegetarians, Vegans, and Omnivores (a study)

[Beringia]

https://faunalytics.org/differing-empathy-in-vegetarians-vegans-and-omnivores/

(Interesting study, shows vegans' brains react more in region of cognition, I guess controlling their responses).

For many, the choice to follow a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle is an easy one to make; it’s a decision grounded in ethics and values. Opting not to consume animal products means not participating in an industry that frequently exploits and abuses animals. Accordingly, for many animal advocates, living these lifestyles is compulsory in order to maintain consistent ethics, ethics that are built upon great feelings of empathy towards animals. This may be a “common sense” conclusion for many animal advocates. However, what about empathy towards fellow humans? Could enacting lifestyles that demonstrate greater empathy towards animals also affect how we empathize with other people?

A group of European researchers set out to answer this question by mapping our neural responses to human and animal suffering. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), researchers exposed 20 omnivores, 19 vegetarians, and 21 vegans to images of humans and animals suffering and recorded their brains’ responses. The study was motivated by two concepts: first, that the ability to empathize is a uniquely human trait. Second, that those following a veg*n lifestyle engage different parts of our brains when it comes to empathy and social cognition. The researchers hypothesized that veg*ns would show different brain activity than omnivores when both groups are shown images of suffering.

Prior to study, all participants completed an empathy quotient (EQ) assessment in order to measure their self-reported levels of empathy. Possible scores ranged from 0 to 80, with a higher number suggesting a higher level of empathy. Veg*ns received average scores of 49.5 and 44.6, respectively. These numbers were significantly higher than the 38.8 average score of the omnivorous participants.

After completing this assessment, participants were presented with a mixture of pictures involving human suffering, animal suffering, and natural landscapes (which constituted “neutral” imagery). During this procedure, participants were hooked up to an MRI machine in order to read their neural activity. These brain scans led researchers to several points of interest.

First, they found that vegetarians and vegans alike appear to share a functional architecture of emotional cognition. Compared to the group of omnivores, both of these groups showed a notably higher engagement of empathy-related brain regions when shown images of suffering—whether they included animals or humans. In other words, veg*ns demonstrated stronger empathetic reactions.

Further, veg*ns showed an even stronger engagement of empathy when viewing images of animal suffering. In these instances, more regions of the brain were activated. Interestingly, these activated brain regions are ones thought to be associated with representation of self, self-values, memory, and visuospatial processing, suggesting that veg*ns see the suffering of animals as related to their sense of self.

One interesting finding was that, after seeing animal suffering, the right amygdalas of veg*ns showed less activation than that of omnivores’. The amygdala is associated with feelings of fear and threat, and is responsible for what we know as the “fight or flight” response. The researchers reckoned that the decreased activation when faced with animal suffering was the brain’s attempts to regulate emotions in response to stressful stimuli.

Finally, there were some fascinating findings within the vegetarian and vegan participant groups. When vegetarians were presented with images of animal suffering, brain regions associated with increased attention, higher empathetic pain, greater self-control, and more monitoring were engaged. On the other hand, vegans’ brains showed greater activity in the area associated with cognitive control during processing of emotion.

How do the EQ scores play into these findings? The researchers specifically looked for correlations between the groups’ EQ scores and brain activity. They found that, when viewing animal suffering, there was a direct relationship between higher EQ scores and increased brain activity in empathy-related areas in veg*ns. In omnivores, this relationship was inverse.

In a word, do vegetarians, vegans, and omnivores process images of suffering differently? Yes. This study, while small, revealed some of the ways these groups differ when it comes to cognition and empathy. It’s significant for being the first to measure empathy towards non-humans in people of different lifestyles, and it represents a crucial intersection between animal advocacy and neuroscience. We should look forward to future and follow-up studies in this field. In the meantime, we now know that veg*ns may indeed cognitively function in different ways, which adds a whole new layer to our ethics and chosen lifestyles.

[Beringia]

1. Also note empathy is only 10% higher in Vegans and Vegetarians than Omnivores

Would think the difference would be greater.

[MountCleaners]

4. Maybe vegans are used to those images

...with the internet and all, I would guess that the people most likely to seek out images and articles about animal abuse and suffering would be vegans, so maybe they've been exposed to lots of those images and so the reactions aren't stronger.

[in2herbs]

2. For me the biggest reason I turned off meat was because of the mental picture that formed in my

brain of animal suffering. I, too, can't understand why the difference is not greater, but at least there's a difference.

[Beringia]

3. I don't remember when I really locked onto vegetarianism

but I know I really crossed over when I became involved in animal rights. I remember knowing a kid who was from a family of vegetarians when I was a child and he was like a martian from outerspace. I have a couple of nieces and nephews who are vegetarian of their own volition, not coming from their parents, and I think that is so wonderful. I am considering becoming a vegan now, getting exposed to how dairy cattle are treated.

[MountCleaners]

5. At the time it was a spiritual practice for me

I was influenced by Buddhism and also the Civil Rights Movement, and adopted the philosophy of ahimsa. I wanted to purge my daily activities of as much violence as possible, so I adopted vegetarianism first, then veganism many years later.

I'm by no means perfect, but veganism is a daily reminder for me of the standard I hold myself to.

Also, I've found that vegetarianism / veganism is good mental discipline. I like walking into a supermarket and knowing there is so much that I cannot eat, knowing that if I were an omnivore, I would fill up my cart a lot faster. I believe that we should practice mindfulness in everything we do.

Not so spiritual today, but I do respect the teachings of many religions and still follow them.

[Beringia]

6. Thanks for sharing

I like Albert Schweitzer's Reverence for Life, Only that man is truly ethical who feels the necessity of assisting all life that he is able to help, and who shrinks from inflicting harm upon any living creature.

[Duppers]

7. Found this page saved on my phone

I'd like to quibble with one statement in this article:

the ability to empathize is a uniquely human trait.

Horse dodo! Anyone who's ever owned a good dog or even a very sensitive cat can verify that critters are sensitive to the pain of others, be they people or other critters they care for.
For instances, if I were about to cry and before I could pull in a deep breath, my late Lab would lift her head and stare at me as if to say, "Mom, what's wrong?" It was uncanny.
Most pet owners know there's that strong emotional bond.

Otherwise this is a good article that just proves what we all have suspected or known: the less sensitive, the less empathetic one is, the more likely that person doesn't have a problem seeing an animal killed &/or eating it. And they're more likely to be a fucking Republican, especially the QOP type.

I should add that I think a lot of people have just been conditioned from childhood to accept some amount of cruelty. My early relationship with animals, including farm animals set me up to be more empathetic toward them. That mileage varies with people however, depending on the person. But yet, I could let a cruel murderer die if I were positive of that person's guilt.