Empathy

Recent articles

Two surreal heads touch each other’s faces.

The case for redefining ‘theory of mind’: Q&A with François Quesque

In a new commentary, Quesque and 44 experts in neuroscience and psychology propose a standardized lexicon for research on the attribution of mental states.

By Lauren Schenkman
10 October 2024 | 7 min read

Larry Young built bridges with his social neuroscience research

Known for his work bringing oxytocin studies to the mainstream, Young died unexpectedly last month.

By Angie Voyles Askham
10 April 2024 | 7 min read
Illustrated portrait of Lauren O’Connell.

Setting up a frog colony and pair bonding with Lauren O’Connell

To become a scientist, O’Connell first needed to leave the family farm.

By Brady Huggett
1 March 2024 | 63 min listen
Noah Sasson, a thin white man, stands in a courtyard with his hands in his pockets.

Noah Sasson: Connecting with the autistic community

Intentional interactions with autistic people led Sasson to refocus his research.

By Rachel Zamzow
15 September 2022 | 13 min read
David Mandell sits on the steps of a school.

How losing a parent helped shape David Mandell’s approach to autism research

Autism’s “fearless” researcher takes on the big questions.

By Charles Q. Choi
6 September 2022 | 12 min read
Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results.

Null and Noteworthy: Metacognition, balovaptan bust, pattern recognition

This month, we pore over null results from a study of the accuracy of emotion recognition skills in autistic people, clinical trials of a vasopressin drug called balovaptan, and an analysis of ‘systemizing’ abilities in autistic children.

By Emily Harris
21 July 2022 | 4 min read
Illustration shows a woman whose mouth is covered by a cloud and whos eyes are covered by a cloud.

Double empathy, explained

The double empathy theory challenges the idea that social difficulties are specific to autism and suggests that problems arise from a mismatch in perspective between autistic and non-autistic people.

By Rachel Zamzow
22 July 2021 | 8 min read
Man reaches into cabinet while a woman looks on

Single neurons may power key ‘theory of mind’ skills

A subset of brain cells signal when someone tries to infer another person’s thoughts, according to a new study.

By Angie Voyles Askham
8 February 2021 | 4 min read
Photograph shows young woman and older woman discussing paperwork.

‘Theory of mind’ does not fade with age among autistic adults

Autistic people's ability to understand another person's thinking does not diminish with age, as it does for non-autistic people.

By Peter Hess
13 November 2020 | 4 min read
hands with a red and blue string puzzle.

Book Review: ‘The Pattern Seekers’ links human invention — past, present and future — to autism traits

Simon Baron-Cohen’s new book is essentially a 272-page argument for his hypothesis that all human innovation stems from the ability to discern and manipulate causal patterns.

By Claudia Wallis
10 November 2020 | 6 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Illustration of an open book with the pages creating a brain shape, and with a tassel resembling a DNA sequence.

Open-access neuroscience comes to the classroom: Q&A with Liz Kirby

Neuroscience textbooks can be prohibitively expensive for some undergraduate students. A new open-access alternative seeks to change that.

By Francisco J. Rivera Rosario
13 December 2024 | 6 min read
Black-and-white image of cubes floating out of the bottom half of a human head.

Solving intelligence requires new research and funding models

Our research ecosystem isn't built to deliver the breakthroughs needed to understand intelligence at scale. We need a dedicated research institution to take up the task.

By David A. Markowitz
13 December 2024 | 6 min read
Research image of brain scans.

Impaired molecular ‘chaperone’ accompanies multiple brain changes, conditions

Rare genetic variants in a protein-folding complex contribute to a spectrum of phenotypes that encompass brain malformations, intellectual disability, autism and seizures, according to a new “hallmark” study.

By Holly Barker
12 December 2024 | 5 min read