Empathy Trait Is Associated With EEG Oscillatory Activity During Real-Life Interpersonal Moral Decision-Making

Abstract: Empathy plays a key role in moral reasoning, yet its neural correlates during real-life moral decision-making remain unclear. This study examined how individual differences in trait empathy relate to EEG oscillatory activity (delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma bands) during a dyadic moral verbal exchange. Twenty-eight adults (14 same-gender dyads) completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and the Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES) before engaging in a three-minute moral exchange. Correlation analyses revealed that affective empathy (BEES) was positively associated with temporo-central gamma power, cognitive empathy (IRI-PT) with frontal gamma and temporo-central alpha power, and fantasy (IRI-FS) with posterior alpha activity. In contrast, personal distress (IRI-PD) correlated negatively with temporo-central beta power. These findings indicate that individual differences in empathy dimension are associated with differentiated frequency-specific neural dynamics during moral exchanges, emphasizing the role of both affective and cognitive processes in socially embedded moral reasoning.