The Impact of Incidental Fear on Empathy Towards In-Group and Out-Group Pain

Fear modulates intergroup dynamics by amplifying biases, yet prior work predominantly examines integrated emotions (e.g., fear tied to intergroup conflict), neglecting incidental fear-transient states unrelated to group contexts. Furthermore, the reliance on Western samples limits insights into cultural variability, particularly in collectivist societies where group boundaries differ. Here, we conducted two experimental studies that involved Chinese participants and examined the effect of incidental fear on empathy for in-group and out-group members' pain (operationalized as self-focused empathy, reflecting personal distress when witnessing pain, and other-focused empathy, reflecting compassionate concern for the sufferer). In Experiment 1 (<i>N</i> = 54), using a pain observation paradigm, incidental fear was elicited by randomly showing frightening images, while the differentiation between the in-group and out-group was based on natural ethnic differences (same races and other races). Experiment 2 (<i>N</i> = 52) replicated this using artificial social categorization (university affiliation). Fear reduced other-focused empathy for racial out-groups and socially defined out-groups. Self-focused empathy remained unaffected, suggesting fear selectively disrupts mentalizing-dependent processes. The Inclusion of Other in Self (IOS) scale revealed heightened psychological distance toward out-groups under fear, mediating empathy reduction. Incidental fear universally diminishes empathy for out-group pain across natural and artificial group boundaries, extending social identity theory to transient affective states. These findings highlight fear's role in intergroup bias and underscore cultural generalizability beyond WEIRD populations.