Someone Else Gets Hurt — So Why Does Your Body React?

Watching someone cut a finger, twist an ankle or collide with an object can make you wince, tense your muscles or instinctively pull away. Nothing touched your body, yet the reaction can feel immediate and surprisingly physical.

A study published in Nature offers a new explanation: the brain may translate visual information about other people’s bodies into touch-related maps. The findings help explain vicarious sensations, although the researchers did not directly prove that these maps alone cause every flinch or measure empathy itself.