Pregnancy and puerperium are typified by marked biobehavioral changes. These changes, which are traceable in both mothers and fathers, play an important role in parenthood and may modulate social cognition abilities. However, the latter effects remain notably unexplored in parents of newborns (PNs). To bridge this gap, we assessed empathy and social emotions (envy and Schadenfreude) in 55 PNs and 60 controls (childless healthy participants without a romantic relationship or sexual intercourse in the previous 48 hours). We used facial electromyography to detect physiological signatures of social emotion processing. Results revealed higher levels of affective empathy and Schadenfreude in PNs, the latter pattern being accompanied by increased activity of the corrugator suppercilii region. These effects were not explained by potential confounding variables (educational level, executive functioning, depression, stress levels, hours of sleep). Our novel findings suggest that PNs might show social cognition changes crucial for parental bonding and newborn care.

怀孕和产褥期以明显的生物行为改变为代表。这些变化在母亲和父亲中都可以追溯到，在父母身份中起着重要作用，并可能调节社会认知能力。但是，后者的影响在新生儿（PNs）的父母中仍未发现。为了弥合这种差距，我们评估了55个PN和60个对照组（在过去48小时内没有浪漫关系或性交的，没有孩子的健康参与者）的同理心和社交情绪（嫉妒和Schadenfreude）。我们使用面部肌电图来检测社交情感处理的生理特征。结果显示，PN中的情感移情和Schadenfreude的水平较高，后一种模式伴随着情感活动的增加。瓦楞纸箱超级区域。潜在的混杂变量（教育水平，执行功能，抑郁，压力水平，睡眠时间）无法解释这些影响。我们的新发现表明，PN可能显示出社会认知的变化，对于父母之间的纽带和新生儿护理至关重要。