Event-Related Correlates of Compassion for Social Pain

Abstract

Ostracism—being intentionally excluded—is painful, and when experienced vicariously, it elicits self-reported and neural responses correlated with compassion. This study examined event-related potentials (ERPs) in response to vicarious ostracism in a computer-simulated ball-toss game, called Cyberball. Participants observed three ostensible players at other universities play two rounds of Cyberball; in the first round all players were included, but in the second one player was ostracized. After the game, participants reported their compassion and wrote emails to the ostracism victim and perpetrators, coded for prosociality and harm. Condition differences in exclusion versus inclusion throws emerged in a frontal negative-going peak between 108 and 230ms, and in a posterior long-latency positive-going deflection between 548 to 900ms. It is believed the former reflects the feedback error related negativity component (fERN) and the latter the late positive potential (LPP). The fERN was not associated with self-reported compassion or helping behavior, however, the LPP was positively associated with empathic anger and helping the ostracism victim. Self-reported compassion was positively correlated with a frontal positive-going peak between 190 and 304ms, resembling the P3a. These findings highlight the importance of studying motivational dimensions of compassion alongside its cognitive and affective dimensions.