Some people really do feel your pain
Some people experience the physical sensation of touch just by watching someone else being touched, say British researchers, who suggest the ability is an extreme form of empathy.
Michael Banissy and Dr Jamie Ward of the University College London’s psychology department report their findings online and in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
They say watching someone being touched triggers the same part of the brain as actual touch, and this connection helps explain how we understand what other people are feeling.
“It suggests there is a link between certain aspects of the tactile system and empathy,” says Banissy.
