Mind over empathy: can a fake spray change how we feel Others' pain?
NCT ID NCT07367672
First seen Jan 29, 2026 · Last updated Apr 28, 2026 · Updated 12 times
Summary
This study looks at how our beliefs and expectations can change the pain we feel when watching others suffer. Healthy adults will be split into three groups: one gets no treatment, one gets a placebo nasal spray, and one gets a real oxytocin spray. All are told they are getting a pain-relieving drug. While in an MRI scanner, they watch videos of people in pain and rate their own discomfort. The goal is to understand how the brain processes empathy and how belief alone can alter pain perception.
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Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
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Study contacts
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Contact
Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••
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Contact
Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••
Locations
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University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
ENROLLING_BY_INVITATIONChengdu, China
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Weihua Zhao
RECRUITINGChengdu, Sichuan, 611731, China
Contact
Contact Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••
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