Eliciting empathetic drives to prosocial behavior during stressful events

Nicola Grignoli; Chiara Filipponi; Serena Petrocchi

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.963544

Eliciting empathetic drives to prosocial behavior during stressful events

Front Psychol. 2022 Oct 20:13:963544. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.963544. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Nicola Grignoli^{1

2}, Chiara Filipponi^{3

4}, Serena Petrocchi^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Cantonal Socio-Psychiatric Organisation, Public Health Division, Department of Health and Social Care, Repubblica e Cantone Ticino, Mendrisio, Switzerland.
² Department of Internal Medicine, Regional Hospital of Bellinzona and Valleys, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona and Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland.
³ Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
⁴ Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, IEO European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
⁵ Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland.
⁶ Lab of Applied Psychology and Intervention, Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy.

Abstract

In the current pandemic situation, psychological science is increasingly considered by public health policy. Empathy is mainly recognized as a crucial drive for prosocial behavior. However, this rich body of evidence still lacks visibility and implementation. Effective social programs are needed, and little is known about how to elicit empathetic drives. The paper gives first a clear foundation to the role of empathy during stressful events. It provides then a comprehensive overview of innovative interventions triggering empathic response in the public such as fiction, film, and theater. Moreover, it integrates interactive ways of sharing personal views that could elicit empathetic feelings in different people. Advances deriving from this perspective could be of significant public interest in the current and future health crises and help authorities develop innovative social programs, which should be the focus of further scientific inquiry.

Keywords: COVID-19; empathy; fiction; pandemic; prosocial behavior; social intervention; stress; theatre.