Using NIRS to Investigate Social Relationship in Empathic Process

We perform appropriate social actions in the various scenes of everyday life. For example, we speculate about other people's intentions and feelings in order to understand them, or inhibit negative emotions such as anger toward them. Furthermore, we engage in altruistic behaviors out of consideration and empathy for unrelated others. Even for a person who we do not like, we can also be sensitive to his or her feelings and take the most suitable action that seems altruistic at the time. When we behave in such a prosocial way, how do we recognize ourself and others, regulate our emotions, and make decisions?