Mirror neurons. Imitation or imitation is a powerful educational tool. There are various mechanisms in the human brain that allow us to mimic actions. Babies are capable of imitating facial expressions, and adults can also imitate someone. We become infected with laughter if someone laughs, and we grieve when we watch a sad movie …
We are able to understand other people, experience the same feelings, empathize. How do we do it? How does the capacity for empathy originate in our brains? The answer to the riddle is mirror neurons. In this article, we will tell you about mirror neurons: what they are, what are their functions, how they affect empathy, learning, how emotional infection occurs, what pathologies and disorders are associated with disturbances in the structure of mirror neurons, etc.
Mirror neurons. Figure: Marian Elavallejo Foundation
What are mirror neurons? Definition
Both monkey and human brains have neurons called Mirror Neurons. These nerve cells are activated when we observe someone's actions. For example, a baby chimpanzee first observes its mother, and then, imitating her, learns to break a nut with a stone. Mirror neurons are associated with empathic, social, and imitative behavior and are a critical learning tool.
“We are social creatures. Our survival depends on understanding the actions, intentions and emotions of those around us. Mirror neurons help us comprehend someone else's mind not only through conceptual reasoning, but also through direct modeling. Feeling, not thinking. D. Rizzolatti
In the 90s, a group of neuroscientists from the University of Parma (Italy), led by neuroscientist Giacomo Rizzolatti, discovered something amazing. Certain groups of neurons in a macaque were activated not only when the monkey performed some action, but also when it watched another macaque perform the same action. Find out what are the functions of neurons. Mirror neurons can be defined as a group of neurons in the primate brain that are activated both when an action is taken and when others are watching it. Mirror neurons enable us to imitate others, which is key in learning.
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Mirror neurons and learning
Thanks to mirror neurons, we learn through imitation. They help us reproduce body language, facial expressions and emotions. Mirror neurons also play an essential role in social life. They are necessary for the development of the child, his interpersonal relationships and learning. Humans are social beings, we are programmed to learn from others. We work together much better and faster. Watching a parent, teacher, or other student demonstrate their skills helps us learn better than just listening to an explanation. Therefore, you should always set an example when teaching.
How do mirror neurons affect our daily life?
- Why is yawning contagious? Because of the mirror neurons! We yawn when we see someone yawning.
- Mirror neurons make us feel sad if someone is suffering or crying.
- The same thing happens when we start laughing if we see that someone is laughing, even if we do not know the reason for this laugh.
- According to research, when we feel disgust or see an expression of disgust on the face of another person, the same part of the brain is activated - the anterior insular lobe.
- Another study showed that the somatosensory area of the cerebral cortex is activated when participants in the experiment were touched, as well as when they watched how others were touched.
8 tips: how do mirror neurons affect learning?
Thanks to mirror neurons, the emotions we display have a direct impact on others. The atmosphere in the classroom or at home is no exception. Therefore, parents and teachers must learn to control their emotions so that mirror neurons become their allies in teaching children, and not vice versa.
1. Show joy and optimism. In this way, you transmit these emotions to your children or students (emotional contagion).
2. Control and avoid negative emotions. We all have bad days, but you need to minimize the impact of your bad mood on your children, as it will negatively affect them. However, suppressing the child's emotions is also not worth it. Help the children understand their emotions and help them manage them as best they can.
3. Use visual demonstration and imitation whenever possible. Supplement theory with demonstrations and allow children to imitate you.
4. Give children as many opportunities to interact with other people. This will lead to greater activation of mirror neurons, as well as enhance children's learning ability and improve their social skills and empathy.
5. Use imitation whenever you want to teach your child something (brush your teeth, clean the room, etc.)
6. Avoid violence. Children learn what they see. If they grow up in an environment where violent behavior is tolerated, the mirror neurons responsible for imitation are activated, and it is very likely that such a child will begin to repeat these actions.
7. Explain to the children the importance of understanding other people's body language. This will help them learn to recognize the doubts of others or situations when someone needs help. Mirror neurons are the foundation of empathy.
8. Teach children to identify their own emotions as well as those of others.
Mirror neurons and emotional contagion
Do you feel better in the company of cheerful people? Do you get upset around a pessimist or negative person? All this is due to the so-called emotional contamination, which is responsible for the mirror neurons.
Emotional contamination is the process by which a person or group of people influences the emotions or affective behavior of another person or group through conscious or unconscious emotional induction.
When communicating, people tend to copy the gestures and facial expressions of each other, and even often experience the same emotions while doing so. Although it has already been confirmed that emotional contamination plays an important role in our personal and business relationships, we still have not realized our enormous ability to influence the emotional state of others, as well as to be exposed to this influence ourselves. Mirror neurons give us the opportunity to literally feel what others are feeling, experience these emotions for ourselves. Mirror neurons are the foundation of empathy.
Empathy is the ability to empathize, to put oneself in the shoes of another, to understand what he is feeling. Most people have this ability.
They allow us to see what we are all alike. This is further proof that humans are social beings. This was key to the survival of our species, we could not survive without interacting with other people, without their protection. The video will tell you about the connection between mirror neurons and empathy. Do not forget to include subtitles in Russian.
How can you benefit from emotional contamination?
Our ability to get emotionally infected from other people and to influence their emotional state ourselves can be very helpful.
- Fortunately, joy is more infectious than sadness, so surround yourself with cheerful people. However, don't go to extremes and avoid people who are sad or depressed altogether. Such a person needs our support, try to help him recover.
- Imitate happy and positive people, do what they do. Exercise and smile more often (you will feel better). Maintain self-esteem and normal self-esteem, and discard negative thoughts.
- Think before you act. Especially if you are going to say something negative to someone. Try to do this as politely and calmly as possible, since your irritation can easily be passed on to another person.
Learn more about emotional contagion in this video.
Mirror neurons and culture
Is our brain affected by the cultural environment we grew up in? It seems that yes. According to research at the University of California, Los Angeles, our brain's network of mirror neurons reacts differently to people depending on whether the person belongs to our culture or not. Two actors were invited for research - an American and a Nicaraguan. They had to show a group of Americans various gestures (American, Nicaraguan, and other gestures that did not matter). Then, using TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation), the activity of mirror neurons was studied. It was noted that the participants' mirror neurons reacted much more actively to American gestures than Nicaraguans.
At the same time, when the Nicaraguan showed American gestures, the activity of the observer's mirror neurons dropped sharply. Thus, we see that culture significantly affects our brain, and, as a result, behavior. The results of this experiment showed that we are more willing to understand and experience empathy towards people of our nationality or culture. It also explains why we interact better with people raised in the same cultural environment as us.
Mirror neurons, empathy and psychopathy
Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by superficial charm, pathological deceit, and an inability to experience remorse or empathy. It's important to note that many psychopaths become criminals, but not all are murderers. Many of them are socialized and lead a normal life. The question arises. If psychopaths are incapable of empathy, does that mean their mirror neurons aren't working? The following study answered this question. This experiment examined the brain activity of a group of participants (18 psychopaths and 26 healthy people) while watching short videos. In these videos, the subjects were shown a hand that touched other people in different ways: gently, hurting, friendly, neutral, demonstrating gestures of rejection, etc.
First, the participants were asked to watch the video, and then they were asked to try to feel what the people in the video were feeling. In the third part of the experiment, participants were struck with a ruler to localize the area of the brain that processes pain information. Scientists found that it was only when psychopaths were asked to show empathy that they could feel what others were feeling, moreover, even their mirror neuron system was activated in the same way as in a group of healthy people. Without any instructions or guidance, the activity of the brain regions associated with pain was very low. Thus, the claim that psychopaths are incapable of empathy is false. However, they have some kind of "switch" that can turn this ability on and off. By default, this ability is disabled.
Mirror neurons and autism
People with autistic disorder have problems with emotion recognition and speech retardation, among other symptoms. They cannot perceive emotions, both their own and those of those around them. In this regard, scientists believed that the system of mirror neurons in autists is “broken”. However, it has recently been proven that this is not the case. The system is not broken, but it is experiencing a developmental delay. While mirror neurons are very active in most children, their activity is diminished in children with autism. However, with age, it increases and, as a rule, by the age of 30 it becomes normal and even elevated. Other studies have also shown that in autistic children, the activity of this group of neurons is not always impaired (i.e., mirror neurons are not always hypoactive). For example, they work normally in the presence of loved ones.