Zebrafish use similar mechanisms to humans in recognizing and mimicking emotions, according to a recent study by researchers at the Gulbenkian Institute. The research found that zebrafish require oxytocin, a hormone linked to social bonding and empathy in humans, to adopt the emotions of their conspecifics. The discovery sheds light on the evolutionary conservation of oxytocin in emotional contagion across species, which may have significant implications for public health, politics, and marketing. Fish’s tendency to align with the emotions of others, known as emotional contagion, is a basic form of empathy that is crucial for human well-being. The research provides new insights into the evolution of empathy and its neural mechanisms, and zebrafish may be the perfect model for studying emotional contagion.
Does Oxytocin Trigger Empathy in Fish?
A recent study by researchers at the Gulbenkian Institute suggests that zebrafish, like humans, use similar mechanisms to read and mimic emotions. The study, published in Science, sheds light on a basic form of empathy known as emotional contagion, which is crucial for human well-being.
The team led by Rui Oliveira from the IGC conducted experiments to determine if zebrafish require oxytocin, a hormone linked to social bonding and empathy in humans, to adopt the emotions of others. Their findings suggest that zebrafish need oxytocin to spread fear when a member of their shoal is hurt. Fish with genetic alterations on oxytocin or its receptors failed to mirror the behavior of the distressed shoal, suggesting that oxytocin is essential for emotional synchronization in zebrafish.
The study’s co-first author, Kyriacos Kareklas, explained that observers of the distressed shoal approached the group even after it returned to swimming normally. In contrast, mutated fish preferred to remain close to the neutral shoal, indicating that zebrafish recognize and mimic the emotional state behind their neighboring shoal’s movements, and start behaving similarly through oxytocin.
The discovery that fish use similar mechanisms to humans to read and mimic emotions could transform the study of social behavior and the brain. Emotional contagion, or the tendency to align with the emotions of others, has been programmed in the human brain for thousands of years, and allows fear to spread quickly in times of threat, increasing the chances of survival. Through mimicking emotions, humans establish social bonds with others.
However, emotional contagion is not exclusive to humans. The new data from the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC) confirm that the mechanisms used to synchronize emotions date back to the most ancient group of vertebrates, fish. Thus, the research may help us understand the evolution of empathy and its underlying neural mechanisms.
In summary, the study reveals that zebrafish use oxytocin to adopt the emotions of others, just as humans do. The research highlights the role of oxytocin in spreading fear and the importance of emotional synchronization in social behavior. Moreover, it provides new insights into the evolution of empathy and its neural mechanisms across species.
Researchers at the Gulbenkian Institute have discovered that zebrafish exhibit similar mechanisms to humans in recognizing and mimicking emotions. The team found that zebrafish require oxytocin, a hormone linked to social bonding and empathy in humans, to adopt the emotions of their conspecifics. They mirror the behavior of distressed shoals, via oxytocin, to spread fear and establish social bonds with others.
Zebrafish are the perfect model for studying emotional contagion and its neural mechanisms since they use areas of the brain equivalent to those used by humans for this purpose. The discovery of the evolutionary conservation of oxytocin in emotional contagion in zebrafish may have significant implications for public health, politics, and marketing. It leads the way towards understanding how we are affected by others’ emotions and how this shapes our well-being and society.
Despite the risk of predators nearby, fish approach distressed shoals, which could help the group recover from stress. These altruistic acts are well-documented in mammals and regulated by oxytocin. Thus, the research provides new insights into the evolution of empathy and its neural mechanisms across species.
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