Lectures and seminars "Understanding the Neural Mechanisms of Prosocial Motivation"

Abstract

Prosocial behaviours — actions that benefit others — are essential for healthy social functioning and societal cohesion. Yet, people vary substantially in how willing they are to help others, particularly when such actions involve personal costs. In this talk, I will explore the neural and psychological mechanisms underlying two key forms of prosocial motivation: harm aversion and effort-based helping. Drawing on behavioural, computational, and neuroimaging evidence, I argue that individual differences in prosociality arise from idiosyncratic sensitivities to personal costs (e.g., effort, pain) and others’ benefits. While people are generally averse to harming others for personal gain, they are less inclined to exert effort to help others, revealing asymmetries in prosocial motivation. These behaviours, however, share common neural substrates, notably the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which integrates cost-benefit signals in social contexts. Furthermore, I will present evidence that interoceptive signals and empathic tendencies dynamically modulate prosocial decisions—shaping how individuals represent and respond to others’ needs. This suggests that prosocial motivation is not only computationally grounded but also tightly linked to embodied and affective processes. Understanding these mechanisms can inform both theory and practice, offering pathways to foster prosociality in clinical, social, and policy domains.