Many studies suggested shared psychological and neural representations for first‐hand physical pain and empathy for others' pain, both of which depend strongly upon top–down controlled mechanisms such as attention. This study aimed to assess the interindividual variation in first‐hand physical pain and empathy for pain, and whether their relationship is dependent upon attention. We recruited participants exhibiting high and low sensitivity to first‐hand pain (HPS and LPS), and adopted pain empathy paradigms involving attention directed toward or withdrawn from pain of another. Relative to the LPS group, participants in the HPS group estimated greater pain intensity experienced by others, felt greater unpleasantness when viewing others in pain, and exhibited greater sensitivity in discriminating others' pain. Electroencephalographic data showed that when attention was directed toward others' pain, only participants in the HPS group exhibited significant pain empathic effects on the N1 component of event‐related potentials and on the α‐oscillation response. These empathic neural responses mediated the linkage between first‐hand pain sensitivity and empathic behavioral responses. Nevertheless, empathic responses were comparable between two groups when attention was withdrawn from others' pain. These results demonstrate a shared sensitivity to first‐hand pain and empathy for pain provided that attention is directed toward pain.

中文翻译：

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第一手疼痛敏感性和对他人疼痛的同情之间的联系：注意力很重要。

许多研究表明，对于第一手身体疼痛和对他人疼痛的同理心具有共同的心理和神经表征，这两者都强烈依赖于自上而下的控制机制，例如注意力。本研究旨在评估第一手身体疼痛和对疼痛的同理心的个体差异，以及它们的关系是否取决于注意力。我们招募了对第一手疼痛（HPS 和 LPS）表现出高敏感性和低敏感性的参与者，并采用了疼痛共情范式，包括关注他人的疼痛或回避他人的疼痛。相对于 LPS 组，HPS 组的参与者估计其他人经历的疼痛强度更大，在观察他人疼痛时感到更不愉快，并且在区分他人的疼痛时表现出更高的敏感性。脑电图数据显示，当注意力转向他人的疼痛时，只有 HPS 组的参与者对事件相关电位的 N1 成分和 α 振荡反应表现出显着的疼痛移情作用。这些共情神经反应介导了第一手疼痛敏感性和共情行为反应之间的联系。然而，当注意力从他人的痛苦中转移时，两组之间的共情反应具有可比性。这些结果表明，如果注意力集中在疼痛上，则对第一手疼痛的共同敏感性和对疼痛的同理心。这些共情神经反应介导了第一手疼痛敏感性和共情行为反应之间的联系。然而，当注意力从他人的痛苦中转移时，两组之间的共情反应具有可比性。这些结果表明，如果注意力集中在疼痛上，则对第一手疼痛的共同敏感性和对疼痛的同理心。这些共情神经反应介导了第一手疼痛敏感性和共情行为反应之间的联系。然而，当注意力从他人的痛苦中转移时，两组之间的共情反应具有可比性。这些结果表明，如果注意力集中在疼痛上，则对第一手疼痛的共同敏感性和对疼痛的同理心。