Is Compassion Innate? A Physiological Perspective

Abstract

Three interrelated biological subsystems subserve compassion: the autonomic nervous, neuroendocrine, and central nervous systems. The autonomic nervous system—the newly evolved ventral myelinated vagus nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system—allows moment-to-moment fine-tuning of physiological and emotional regulation to promote social engagement behaviours. The neuroendocrine system—the hormones and neurotransmitters vasopressin and oxytocin—facilitates kinship and clan emotional bonding. The central nervous system—an enlarged neocortex (including the prefrontal and cingulate cortices)—allows improved self–other differentiation and the ability to understand another’s emotion. The author reviews the first two subsystems in this chapter, showing that compassion is innate. However, it could be obscured by the adversity of individual experiences and by social context or conditioning. The author also shows that the physiological mechanisms that underlie the expression of compassion in the giver also elicit similar effects in those who receive and benefit from it.