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Published online 20 February 2004 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news040216-19
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I feel your pain
Empathy lights up the same parts of the brain as personal injury.
The ability to appreciate other people's agony is achieved by the same parts of the brain that we use to experience pain for ourselves.
When we encounter a painful stimulus, such as an electric shock, signals travel from the site of the stimulus up to the brain.
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