Men and women do not process equally the vision of faces with happy or sad expressions. An informative video from the University of Navarra highlights that "both men and women activate regions of the left hemisphere when faced with happy faces; however, when faced with sad faces or with expressions of pain, the female brain responds more intensely to the stimulus".

The work explains how the sadness or physical pain of others allows us to measure empathy in our brain. In other words, "we understand others, not only because we put ourselves in their place, but also because we are able to understand what they feel," according to Natalia López Moratalla, professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

In his opinion, the gift of empathy- to feel the same emotions as others - provides an extraordinary talent for integration and communication with others. This behavior has biological roots in animal empathy and stems from innate emotional bonds. "It was discovered in a study with monkeys that, thanks to the system of neurons called mirror neurons, they were capable of unconsciously reproducing the intention of another fellow monkey; the motor brain of the monkey that saw how another was offered a peanut, was ready to reach out its hand", emphasizes López Moratalla.

Other experiments have shown that, at the sight of pain inflicted on a loved one, the same affective centers of physical pain are activated, "the greater the affection for the person in pain. These pains, without pain," he points out, "allow, especially women, to sympathize, to feel compassion".

The power of gestures

The video of the University of Navarra shows that through the face we can express all our affective richness, read thoughts, make us position of the inner status of the person or recognize their desires and intentions. According to López Moratalla, "it is difficult to lie using natural gestures. Only people like good actors, through exercises and training, manage to get into the skin of the character they play and are able to convey through the expression of his face certain feelings in a premeditated way". And the fact is that empathy," he adds, "involves the same neuronal Structures that process our own experiences, so that we unconsciously share the emotional messages of others".

This innate characteristic of gestures is what results in us forming first impressions, first information. "This first step involves the amygdala and the posterior cingulate cortex. Afterwards, there are times when first impressions change as we receive more information. Other times, they are confirmed and in this case both areas are reactivated again".

In this sense, the video explains how when we see the face of a person we know plays fair, we activate the neuronal network of emotional reward, as opposed to the face of the cheating cheater, which has little effect on our brain. "Solidarity generates joy. Not only do we have an innate aversion to injustice, but our brains are also tuned to partnership, which compensates us beyond the pure economic benefits," says the professor.

The video was prepared by Carlos Bernar, professor of Audiovisual Communication.

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