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MDMA enhances emotional empathy and prosocial behavior

This placebo-controlled, double-blind study (n=32) investigated the acute effects of MDMA on empathogenic and prosocial feelings and found that MDMA sex-specifically altered the recognition of emotions, emotional empathy, and prosociality.

Authors

  • Yasmin Schmid
  • Matthias Liechti
  • Katrin Preller

Published

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
individual Study

Abstract

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ‘ecstasy’) releases serotonin and norepinephrine. MDMA is reported to produce empathogenic and prosocial feelings. It is unknown whether MDMA in fact alters empathic concern and prosocial behaviour. We investigated the acute effects of MDMA using the Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET), dynamic Face Emotion Recognition Task (FERT) and Social Value Orientation (SVO) test. We also assessed effects of MDMA on plasma levels of hormones involved in social behaviour using a placebo-controlled, double-blind, random-order, cross-over design in 32 healthy volunteers (16 women). MDMA enhanced explicit and implicit emotional empathy in the MET and increased prosocial behaviour in the SVO test in men. MDMA did not alter cognitive empathy in the MET but impaired the identification of negative emotions, including fearful, angry and sad faces, in the FERT, particularly in women. MDMA increased plasma levels of cortisol and prolactin, which are markers of serotonergic and noradrenergic activity, and of oxytocin, which has been associated with prosocial behaviour. In summary, MDMA sex-specifically altered the recognition of emotions, emotional empathy and prosociality. These effects likely enhance sociability when MDMA is used recreationally and may be useful when MDMA is administered in conjunction with psychotherapy in patients with social dysfunction or post-traumatic stress disorder.

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Research Summary of 'MDMA enhances emotional empathy and prosocial behavior'

Introduction

MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is reported to produce empathogenic and prosocial subjective effects and acts primarily as a serotonin and norepinephrine releaser. Previous experimental work had examined MDMA's effects on emotion recognition (a cognitive component of empathy) with mixed findings: overall recognition was not improved, but recognition of negative emotions—particularly fear—was sometimes impaired while positive-emotion identification could be enhanced. What remained unclear was whether MDMA objectively increases emotional empathy (the affective response to another's emotion) and prosocial behaviour, rather than just altering self-reported feelings. This study aimed to test whether MDMA enhances emotional empathy and prosocial behaviour while also reassessing its effects on emotion recognition. Using a placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over design in healthy volunteers, the investigators administered a single oral dose of MDMA and measured cognitive and emotional empathy (Multifaceted Empathy Test, MET), dynamic facial emotion recognition (FERT), and resource-allocation prosociality (Social Value Orientation, SVO). The protocol included endocrine measures (oxytocin, cortisol, prolactin, copeptin, testosterone) and pharmacokinetics to explore potential biological mediators, and the sample was balanced by sex to examine sex-specific responses.

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Study Details

References (5)

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