Embodied (e)motions: brain mechanisms and their socio-cultural modulation

Understanding the emotions of others is fundamental for social life. However, the functional and neural mechanisms underlying the ability to perceive and understand others’ emotion are poorly understood. Embodied simulation theories suggest that, since emotional states (e.g. happiness) are often associated with overt motor behaviors (e.g. smiling, joyful body postures and gestures), observers can simulate and understand the unobservable emotional state of another by embodying their observable motor behavior. However in humans direct neurophysiological evidence of embodied motor simulation mechanisms for perceived emotions are very scant. Moreover, it is unclear how culture can shape such mechanism in interpersonal and intergroup contexts and how embodied simulation interacts with mentalizing (e.g. the inference process which allows one to read the mind of others). The goal of the present project is to systematically test the role of embodied simulation in the perception and understanding of others’ emotional expressions and to explore its social and cultural modulation. To this aim, 3 research streams will be carried out with the aim of: 1) establishing the temporal dynamics and functional connectivity of neural networks implementing embodied simulation during perception of emotional expressions; 2) exploring the socio-cultural influence of belonging to social and ethnic groups on the brain mechanisms underlying perception of emotions displayed by ingroup and outgroup members; 3) testing the critical role of embodied simulation and mentalizing in perceiving emotional expressions and in their evaluation in social contexts by using brain stimulation techniques. This will allow us to highlight the causal role of embodied simulation and mentalizing networks in understanding others’ minds.