Unraveling the Neurobiology of Empathy and Compassion: Implications for Treatments for Brain Disorders and Human Well-Being: A Workshop

Workshop

May 19 - 21, 2025

Past

Agenda

Download the Agenda

Materials

About

Virtual Workshop Details

Day 1 - May 19, 2025, 11:00 am - 3:00 pm ET
Day 2 - May 21, 2025, 11:00 am - 3:00 pm ET

Workshop Objectives

A planning committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine hosted a 2-day public virtual workshop that brought together leaders and experts across disciplines and sectors to explore the neurobiology of empathy and compassion and potential implications for treatments for brain disorders and other real-world applications.
Invited presentations and discussions:

Considered the various definitions and measurements of empathy and compassion across fields.
Examined evidence on the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of empathy and compassion, their evolutionary origin, and their role in brain functionality, including in some cases of brain disorders.
Explored how factors such as genetics, environment, social interactions, and psychological states influence the development and expression of empathy and compassion.
Discussed how different treatments (e.g., behavioral and pharmacological) for brain disorders affect empathy and compassion.
Considered how understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of empathy and compassion may be applied in other domains such as healthy workforce practices and to foster human well-being.

A planning committee developed the agenda for the workshop, selected and invited speakers and discussants, and moderate the discussions. Following the workshop, a proceedings of the presentations and discussions will be prepared by a designated rapporteur in accordance with institutional guidelines.

Contact

Sheena Posey Norris

sposey@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

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Unraveling the Neurobiology of Empathy and Compassion: Implications for Treatments for Brain Disorders and Human Well-Being: A Workshop

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Unraveling the Neurobiology of Empathy and Compassion: Implications for Treatments for Brain Disorders and Human Well-Being: A Workshop