SUNY - Stony Brook, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Stony Brook, NY 11777, USA; University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research, Research Center for Group Dynamics, and the Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA.
Pacific Lutheran University, Department of Psychology, Tacoma, WA, USA.
Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2015 Aug;55:1-17. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.04.004. Epub 2015 Apr 20.
Although a growing body of evidence suggests that giving to (helping) others is linked reliably to better health and longevity for the helper, little is known about causal mechanisms. In the present paper we use a recently developed model of caregiving motivation to identify possible neurophysiological mechanisms. The model describes a mammalian neurohormonal system that evolved to regulate maternal care, but over time may have been recruited to support a wide variety of helping behaviors in humans and other social animals. According to the model, perception of need or distress in others activates caregiving motivation, which in turn, can facilitate helping behavior. Motivational regulation is governed by the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus, interacting with certain other brain regions, hormones, and neuromodulators (especially oxytocin and progesterone). Consideration of neurohormonal circuitry and related evidence raises the possibility that it is these hormones, known to have stress-buffering and restorative properties, that are responsible, at least in part, for health and longevity benefits associated with helping others.
虽然越来越多的证据表明，给予（帮助）他人与帮助者更好的健康和长寿可靠地相关，但对于因果机制知之甚少。在本文中，我们使用一种最近开发的照料动机模型来确定可能的神经生理学机制。该模型描述了一种哺乳动物神经激素系统，它是为了调节母性照顾而进化的，但随着时间的推移，它可能已经被招募来支持人类和其他社交动物的各种帮助行为。根据该模型，对他人的需求或痛苦的感知会激活照料动机，进而促进帮助行为。动机调节由下丘脑的视前正中区管理，与其他一些大脑区域、激素和神经调质（特别是催产素和孕酮）相互作用。考虑到神经激素回路和相关证据，就有可能认为是这些激素，已知具有缓解压力和恢复性的特性，至少部分地负责与帮助他人相关的健康和长寿益处。
