What are Mirror Neurons?
Mirror neurons are special neurons in the brain that underlie the experience of empathy, and also play a critical function in learning. What makes mirror neurons distinct is that they fire both when performing a certain action, and observing another person, especially of the same species, perform that action. So the neuroactivity is the same whether it’s you performing the action or another. Two locations in the brain where mirror neurons have been observed are the premotor cortex and the inferior parietal cortex. Mirror neurons are likely a common neurological feature of many if not all primates. The phenomenon of mirror neurons proves that seeing really is believing. They underscore the reality that perception is not a one-way conduit from reality to our brains, but rather a complex feedback cycle between the two. We see someone who we think is in pain, and we ourselves can feel a weaker form of that pain. We see someone performing a complex motor action, and we can imagine ourselves
Mirror neurons are thought to be a delicate collection of nerves that play a role in empathy and in learning (Metta et al 2006). The mirror neurons are distinct for one particular reason- they get activated when a certain action is performed- however, the individual observing the person performing the activity also gets activation of the same group of neurons. In this case, the neural activity is the same whether one is performing or observing (in other words it explains the adage- monkey see, monkey do). These mirror neurons have been observed in the premotor cortex and inferior parietal cortex. It is widely believed that mirror neurons are a common neurological features in most primates, possibly humans (Rizzolatti 2004, 2005). The mirror neurons strengthen the concept that seeing is believing- that perception is not just a one way street of reality but rather a complex feedback cycle between two individuals of the same species. For example when we see an individual crying from pain,
