If you’ve been following Frans de Waal’s work you know that he is a respected primatologist and best selling author with a new book, “The Age of Empathy: Nature’s Lessons for a Kinder Society”. Listen to Joe Palca’s engaging conversation with de Waal here, on Science Friday, as he weaves endearing stories with evolutionary concepts based on years of field research.

Empathy is our evolutionary heritage
Evidence shows that empathy engages brain areas that are more than a hundred million years old. It’s part of a heritage as ancient as the mammalian line. He reminds us that through a common ancestor, we share traits with the chimpanzee and the bonobo — a complex mix of both aggression and cooperation.

First we feel it, then we think it
One example that links humans to other primates is de Waal’s “emotion first theory”. Although we often focus on the face, our entire bodies convey emotion. In fact, we trust postures more than facial expressions. Our bodies show how we feel in a language that is immediate and honest.

Art can create an emotional response
The emotional power of line and shape is appreciated by artists. I had an illustration assignment to depict moods with figure drawings with this challenge: show fear, sadness, despair — without showing faces. My approach was to use brush and ink on paper to get the right shapes. Shown above are examples of my drawings from the project. See how the varied line weight describes the shape of the figure, curved and hunched in despair? Using thick and thin lines to convey a mood is called gestural drawing. An artistic way to capture emotional energy with marks on a page.

Watch out! Like a yawn, it’s catchy
Another aspect of “emotion first theory” is “emotional contagion”. You smile, I smile, and we both get happy. Yes, you guessed it — the drawing assignment was a depressing affair. As I drew, I started to feel sad. My drawings became more expressive, though — a surprising bonus for success of the project.

De Waal speculates that empathy started with maternal care. Perhaps there is a strong pressure to select for females that respond to their baby quickly. For example, his research shows that women are more in touch with facial expression. Gender doesn’t always trump, though. Shown below on the right is a compelling image of suffering and loss from the artist who also painted “The Scream”. An example of art by a man (like Frans de Waal) who must have had a double genetic dose of genetic empathy.

The two black and white illustrations above are from the illustration assignment referred to. The cover of Frans de Waal’s book is shown above with Edvard Munch’s painting titled “The sick child”, on the right.

Tags: de waal, emotional contagion, empathy, evolution, primatology

About Lynn Fellman: Lynn Fellman creates art inspired by evolution and genetics, and design and Flash animation for organizations. E-mail Lynn, or check our her work on http://www.fellmanstudio.com.

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