{"id":545426,"date":"2026-06-20T16:11:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T16:11:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/545426\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T16:11:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T16:11:12","slug":"why-you-flinch-when-someone-else-gets-hurt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/545426\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Flinch When Someone Else Gets Hurt"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Small<\/a>The brain doesn\u2019t simply watch other people. It appears to translate what we see into touch-like experiences using a network of hidden body maps in the visual cortex. That process may help explain empathy and why another person\u2019s pain can feel surprisingly real. Credit: Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Scientists discovered that the visual brain may secretly \u201cfeel\u201d what it sees, turning sight into physical experience and helping make empathy possible.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Working with researchers from institutions around the world, Nicholas Hedger (University of Reading) and Tomas Knapen (Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience & Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) investigated one of neuroscience\u2019s biggest questions: how humans experience the world around them.<\/p>\n

Their research uncovered a remarkable process in which the brain converts visual information into touch-related representations, helping create the rich, physical reality we experience every day. According to Knapen, \u201cThis aspect of human experience is a fantastic area for AI development.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why Seeing Someone Get Hurt Makes You Flinch<\/p>\n

Imagine preparing dinner with a friend when they accidentally cut themselves. Almost instantly, you may grimace, wince, or even jerk your own hand away.<\/p>\n

Those reactions happen because the brain\u2019s touch-processing region, known as the somatosensory cortex, becomes active even though nothing physically happened to you.<\/p>\n

But how can simply watching another person trigger the brain\u2019s sense of touch?<\/p>\n

To investigate, researchers from the UK, USA, and VU, NIN (KNAW) in Amsterdam turned to an unexpected source of data: Hollywood movies.<\/p>\n

\"Somatosensory<\/a>Somatosensory cortex activity in the human brain. Credit: Netherlands Institute for NeuroscienceUsing Hollywood Films to Study Human Experience<\/p>\n

Tomas Knapen (last author) and Nicholas Hedger (first author) examined a dataset collected from volunteers who watched clips from movies such as The Social Network and Inception while undergoing brain scans.<\/p>\n

Their goal was to identify the neural systems that transform visual information into meaningful experiences, allowing people to do more than simply see the world around them.<\/p>\n

Hidden Body Maps in the Visual Brain<\/p>\n

When neuroscientists refer to \u201cmaps\u201d in the brain, they are describing organized patterns that represent information about the body and environment.<\/p>\n

One well-known example is found in the somatosensory cortex, where different areas correspond to different body parts. One end of the map processes sensations from the feet, while the opposite end processes sensations from the head. These organized layouts help the brain determine where a sensation originates.<\/p>\n

The researchers were surprised to find similar maps within the visual cortex. This suggests that the brain may organize what we see in ways that closely resemble how it processes physical touch.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe found not one, or two, but eight remarkably similar maps in the visual cortex!\u201d Knapen explains. \u201cFinding so many shows how strongly the visual brain speaks the language of touch.\u201d<\/p>\n

These visual maps mirror the body\u2019s arrangement within the somatosensory cortex from head to toe \u2014 suggesting that when we observe another person, the brain organizes that visual information using patterns similar to those involved in physical sensation.<\/p>\n

\"Visual<\/a>Bodily maps discovered in the visual cortex. Credit: Netherlands Institute for NeuroscienceWhy the Brain Uses Multiple Body Maps<\/p>\n

The discovery of eight separate maps raises an obvious question: Why does the brain need so many?<\/p>\n

The researchers believe different maps serve different functions. Some appear to specialize in identifying body parts, while others focus more on where those body parts are located in space.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that there are many more purposes, but we just haven\u2019t been able to test them yet,\u201d Knapen adds.<\/p>\n

These maps may help people extract different types of information depending on what matters most in a given moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cSay you stand up and grab a cup of coffee. If I\u2019m interested in what you\u2019re doing, I will probably focus on your hand grabbing the cup. Now imagine that I\u2019m more interested in your emotional state. In that case, I might focus more on your overall posture or your facial expressions. Every time you look at a person, there are many different bodily translations that need to be conducted visually. We think that these maps are a fundamental ingredient in that exact process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although maintaining several overlapping maps might seem inefficient, Knapen argues that it actually makes the brain more flexible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis allows the brain to have many types of information in a single space, and make a translation in any way that is relevant in that moment,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

Implications for Autism Research and Neurotechnology<\/p>\n

The findings open the door to a wide range of future studies.<\/p>\n

Because these body maps appear to be involved in emotional processing, they could provide new insights into social psychology and eventually contribute to clinical applications.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople with autism can struggle with this sort of processing. Having this information could help us better identify effective treatments,\u201d Knapen explains.<\/p>\n

The research could also have implications for brain-computer interfaces and other forms of neurotechnology.<\/p>\n

\u201cTraining sets for brain implants often start off with instructions like \u2018try to think of a movement\u2019. If these bodily processes can be activated in much broader ways, then there might be much broader possibilities to train and develop those brain-computer interfaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

What This Discovery Could Mean for AI<\/p>\n

Knapen believes the work may also help guide future advances in artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur bodies are deeply intertwined with our experiences and understanding of the world. Current AI primarily relies on text and video, lacking this bodily dimension. This aspect of human experience is a fantastic area for AI development. Our work shows the potential for very large, precision brain imaging datasets to fuel this development: a beautiful synergy between neuroscience and AI.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Knapen, however, the biggest takeaway is not technological.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to understand the depths of the human experience, and it really feels like we just found this central ingredient for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reference: \u201cVicarious body maps bridge vision and touch in the human brain\u201d by Nicholas Hedger, Thomas Naselaris, Kendrick Kay and Tomas Knapen, 26 November 2025, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038\/s41586-025-09796-0<\/a><\/p>\n

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