PhD ceremony Ms. F. Cui: Distinguishing and connecting self and others. A social neuroscience perspective
| When: | Mo 09-12-2013 at 11:00 |
| Where: | Academiegebouw, Broerstraat 5, Groningen |
PhD ceremony: Ms. F. Cui,
Dissertation: Distinguishing and connecting self and others. A social neuroscience perspective
Promotor(s): prof. C.M. Keysers
Faculty: Medical Sciences
If you have seen the movie starred by Will Smith “I am legend” you might be shocked by the feeling of desperation and loneliness. Born as social animals, it is curial for our survival to be able to distinguish and connect self and others. “How does our brain work when performing these social functions?” This is the question we want to answer in this thesis using a combination of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), ElectroEncephaloGraphy (EEG) and ElectroMyoGraphy (EMG) technologies. Here, you will find out how our brain differentiates active and passive body movement; how fMRI and EEG were used to discover how you share the actions of others; why you feel the pain of others more when you are fully responsible for their suffering compared to when you are not or partly responsible; and why knowing that the suffering person receives monetary compensation makes you feel better. This thesis will shed light on some of the mystery of our social nature.