Empathy and Oxidative Stress in Healthy Adults

Agnieszka Żelaźniewicz, Judyta Nowak, Agata Groyecka, Piotr Sorokowski, Małgorzata Dobrowolska and Bogusław Pawłowski
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Agnieszka Żelaźniewicz: Department of Human Biology, University of Wrocław, 50-138 Wrocław, Poland
Judyta Nowak: Department of Human Biology, University of Wrocław, 50-138 Wrocław, Poland
Agata Groyecka: Institute of Psychology, University of Wrocław, 50-527 Wrocław, Poland
Piotr Sorokowski: Institute of Psychology, University of Wrocław, 50-527 Wrocław, Poland
Małgorzata Dobrowolska: Institute of Education and Communication Research, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
Bogusław Pawłowski: Department of Human Biology, University of Wrocław, 50-138 Wrocław, Poland

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 12, 1-9

Abstract: Empathy is crucial for normal and effective social functioning, enabling comprehension and prediction of actions in social environments. Despite its importance for maintaining social relationships in human groups, the physiological correlates of empathy are not fully known. The aim of this study was to test whether empathy is related to oxidative stress level, that may result both from internal disturbances and influence of external adverse factors. Seventy-four healthy women (M age = 26.23, SD age = 2.88) and one hundred and one men (M age = 28.09, SD age = 3.03) took part in the study. Participants’ empathy was evaluated with self-assessment questionnaire—Empathy Quotient (EQ). Oxidative stress level was measured with serum 8-OH-dG, a product of oxidative DNA damage. The results showed that empathy is negatively related to oxidative stress level in men but not in women, when controlled for testosterone level. Revealed sex differences may be explained by men’s greater vulnerability to various adverse conditions and harmful factors. Men, compared to women, seem to be more susceptible to behavioral changes, induced by increased oxidative stress level. The study adds to growing evidence showing that many physiological mechanisms, other than hormonal factors, that may be also related with environmental harmful factors, are related to behavioral, affective and cognitive phenomena.

Keywords: 8-OH-dG; inter-individual comparison; physiology; sex differences; social behavior; testosterone (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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