The way we look has always been a crucial element in any social interaction, romantic or not. The use of sexualized representations of the individual, with a consistent emphasis on sexual body parts, is a common way, especially in Western society, to arouse emotions (especially pleasure) with the aim of increasing the hedonic value of the associated object ( see media commercials every day). But what are the consequences of such a sexualized representation? Social psychology has studied the phenomenon extensively and concluded that sexualization (or sexual objectification) affects the way we see other people by stripping them of certain human qualities, such as a moral sense or the ability to responsibly plan one's actions. Social psychology also suggests that we perceive the emotions expressed by objectified versus unobjectified individuals differently.
A recent study shows that observers have less empathy for sexually objectified women, meaning their ability to feel and recognize their emotions is reduced.
While measuring the brain activity of male and female participants with functional magnetic resonance imaging, the researchers elicited negative and positive emotions using a computer-assisted task involving inclusion and exclusion from play. During the game, empathic responses were measured toward two different targets:sexually objectified women and unobjectified women. The scientists found that by simply changing the type of clothing the actresses wore (i.e. with more or less visible body parts/skin), empathetic feelings toward women portrayed in a sexually objectified manner were significantly reduced compared to those portrayed in a sexually objectified manner. were shown in a personalized way. “This suggests that observers experienced a reduced ability to share the sexualized female emotions,” explains the researcher.
