I have a friend Cathy whose sister Beth has MS. Cathy struggles with her relationship her sister. No
matter what Cathy does to help Beth, her sister seems selfish and lacks
empathy. It is all about Beth and her needs. A new research study on MS and the
lack of the ability to read nonverbal cues of emotion may explain all or at least
some of her problems with her sister. People with MS may not read
body language posture cues of emotions well.
I can see if you can’t read
you would have trouble mirroring and empathizing. Here
is the link to the article. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141110083515.htm
and below is the actual article.
Recognizing emotions, and
what happens when this is interrupted
November 10, 2014
:
Sissa Medialab
Recognizing the emotions
other people feel is crucial for establishing proper interpersonal relations.
To do so, we look at (amongst other things) facial expressions and body
posture. Unfortunately, in some neurological disorders this ability is heavily impaired.
This happens, for example, in multiple sclerosis where scientific evidence
shows that people affected by the disease often have trouble recognizing
expressions that communicate emotions. A new study now demonstrates that the
same difficulty may also be encountered with emotions conveyed by posture.
Share This
Recognizing the emotions other people feel is crucial for
establishing proper interpersonal relations. To do so, we look at (amongst
other things) facial expressions and body posture. Unfortunately, in some
neurological disorders this ability is heavily impaired. This happens, for
example, in multiple sclerosis where scientific evidence shows that people
affected by the disease often have trouble recognizing expressions that
communicate emotions.
A new study now
demonstrates that the same difficulty may also be encountered with emotions
conveyed by posture. In addition, the study shows that this difficulty
recognizing other people's emotions is unrelated to difficulties identifying
one own's emotions, a disorder known as alexithymia, which may be present in
patients with multiple sclerosis.
"The finding on
posture is new, and even though this symptom is less pronounced than the
inability to read facial expressions, it is nonetheless important"
explains Marilena Aiello, a SISSA researcher. "Studies on the
identification of expressions in neurological disorders such as multiple
sclerosis are important. In this type of disease the relationship between patients
and carers is crucial to guarantee the patient the best quality of life. It's
thus vital to identify the factors that may influence and improve this
relationship."
In addition to Aiello, the
other SISSA researchers who participated in the study, published in the Journal
of the International Neuropsychological Society, are Cinzia Cecchetto
(first author) and Raffaella Rumiati, a SISSA neuroscientist who coordinated
the research project.
Story Source:
The above story is based on
materials provided by Sissa Medialab. Note: Materials may be edited for
content and length.
Journal Reference:
1.
Cinzia Cecchetto, Marilena Aiello, Delia D’Amico, Daniela
Cutuli, Daniela Cargnelutti, Roberto Eleopra, Raffaella Ida Rumiati. Facial
and Bodily Emotion Recognition in Multiple Sclerosis: The Role of Alexithymia
and Other Characteristics of the Disease. Journal of the International
Neuropsychological Society, 2014; 1 DOI: 10.1017/S1355617714000939
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
