Vicarious experiences of touch (mirror touch) in a Chinese sample: Cross-cultural and individual differences.
Mengze Li, Lei Hao, Zhiting Ren, Jiang Qiu, Jamie Ward
PLoS One 2022 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266246 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study (questionnaire and brain imaging) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 298 |
| Population | Chinese adults |
| Key findings | Reports of mirror-touch were elevated in a Chinese sample (N = 298) relative to comparable Western samples shown identical stimuli, while remaining qualitatively similar in other respects; the difference could not be attributed to acquiescence bias. Higher mirror-touch reports were associated with higher anxiety. Voxel-based morphometry found no reliable brain structural differences. The authors suggest cross-cultural differences in embodied cognition may manifest in different rates of vicarious experience such as mirror touch. |
Abstract
Mirror-touch synaesthesia (MTS) refers to tactile sensations people have on their own body when they see another person being touched. This trait has been linked to individual differences in computing body awareness and ownership (e.g., on questionnaires, cognitive tests) as well as differences in the brain. Here it is assessed for the first time in a non-Western (Chinese) population. Study 1 shows that reports of mirror-touch are elevated in a Chinese sample (N = 298) relative to comparable Western samples shown identical stimuli. In other respects, they are qualitatively similar (e.g., showing a difference between whether humans or inanimate objects are touched) and, overall, these differences could not be attributed to an acquiescence bias. The Chinese sample also completed a battery of questionnaires relating to body awareness and social-emotional functioning including mental health (Study 2) and had participated in brain imaging (the structural scans were analysed using voxel-based morphometry in Study 3). Participants reporting higher levels of mirror touch reported higher levels of anxiety. There were no reliable differences in the VBM analysis. It is suggested instead that cross-cultural differences in embodied cognition can manifest themselves in different rates of vicarious experience such as mirror touch.