Mirror Neurons: Understanding the Phenomenon

The buzz around mirror neurons has died down a bit, which is exactly why we decided to take a calm, clear look at the topic. Mirror neurons have been used to explain everything from the effects of meditation to complex business processes. But what’s really going on, and can we use mirror neurons to our advantage?

What Are Mirror Neurons?

Let’s start from the beginning. The discovery of mirror neurons belongs to a group of Italian scientists led by Giacomo Rizzolatti. In 1993, they noticed unusual brain activity in macaque monkeys (who had electrodes implanted in their heads). Certain areas of the parietal, frontal, and temporal lobes started doing something scientists had never seen before.

Specifically, these areas responded the same way both when the monkey performed an action and when it observed someone else performing the same action. For example, when a monkey picked up a nut, a certain brain region was activated. When the monkey watched an experimenter pick up a nut, the exact same region lit up.

The Discovery of Mirror Neurons

Rizzolatti called these groups of neurons “mirror neurons,” wrote an article, and submitted it to a respected journal. Initially, his discovery was dismissed and not published. But Rizzolatti persisted, and in 1996, his findings were finally published in a reputable journal. That’s when the excitement began!

The Fate of the Discovery

The brain and consciousness are still largely mysterious to us. When significant theories like this emerge, people try to apply them to all sorts of phenomena. From a layperson’s perspective, mirror neurons seem to explain many processes, but the problem is that their existence in humans hasn’t been definitively proven.

About the Discovery of Mirror Neurons

Yes, our brains are very similar to those of primates, and with MRI and EEG (electroencephalogram) studies, we can detect activity in the same brain regions during similar experiments. But even these functional studies only indirectly support the theory.

For example, if a person has an ultrasound of the abdomen and a mass is found in the liver, the doctor can describe its size, whether it’s solid or fluid-filled, and if it’s encapsulated, but a definitive diagnosis can only be made with a biopsy. Similarly, MRI and EEG can show activity, but it might come from other neurons. To know for sure if they’re mirror neurons, you’d have to do what Rizzolatti did—implant electrodes in a living human brain.

Another Piece of Evidence

In 2010, American scientists did just that. They implanted electrodes in the frontal and temporal cortex of people with epilepsy to locate the epileptic focus for future removal. At the same time, they conducted experiments to confirm or refute the existence of mirror neurons in humans.

The scientists observed that the same groups of neurons were active both when the subjects performed actions (like grasping or making faces) and when they watched others do the same. This led to excitement and claims that mirror neurons do exist in humans.

However, the discovery wasn’t universally accepted. Independent experts pointed out that 21 subjects is too small a sample size for such conclusions. Also, the electrodes were placed in brain areas responsible for memory, not the same regions as in monkeys. So, the observed activity might have been related to memory, not action observation.

As a result, we’re still waiting for definitive proof. Still, the theories and experiments around mirror neurons help explain many aspects of human behavior and are useful in everyday life and business.

Applications of Mirror Neurons

Mirror neurons may help explain language development, how infants learn behavior, and various neurological and psychiatric disorders. Let’s look at some practical applications:

1. Empathy

At a party, you approach a laughing group and start smiling even before you hear the joke. Or a loved one tells you about their troubles—how do you feel? Scientists believe our ability to understand others’ emotions is linked to mirror neurons. When we observe someone, our neurons reflect their state, helping us understand and even feel what they’re experiencing.

2. Instant Understanding

When someone looks at an object, we can instantly grasp their intentions without any logical reasoning. For example, during lunch, if someone glances at a cup, we know they’re about to drink or wash it. This may explain why in-person meetings are so important in business. When you interact face-to-face, your mirror neurons are engaged, helping you sense the other person’s feelings, predict their decisions, and influence the situation. So, skip the messengers—opt for real-life communication!

3. Imitation

When we see a familiar action, mirror neurons activate and send signals to our motor neurons, making us want to repeat the action. We don’t always act on this impulse, as inhibitory mechanisms and consciousness play a role.

This is the basis for advertising. When attractive people on screen eat chocolate, unbox a new smartphone, or clean clothes with a miracle detergent, we subconsciously associate ourselves with them. Even subtle ads—like a bitten chocolate bar in a magazine—imply action, and our mirror neurons tell us, “That could be you.”

4. The Crowd Effect

This is a form of imitation, but on a larger scale. Sometimes, a fashion trend you’d never consider starts to seem less strange as you see it more often. Eventually, you might even try on those trendy boots in a store. This helps explain why some companies’ products keep selling even after a flop—people keep buying because of the crowd effect.

5. Hearing and Smell

Mirror neurons don’t just respond to visual stimuli. For example, a monkey unwraps a nut from a crinkly package, then hears someone else do the same—the same brain area is activated. The same goes for our sense of smell.

You’ve probably read about how pleasant music and enticing scents in stores influence shoppers’ decisions. American psychiatrist Alan Hirsch showed that certain smells can significantly boost sales: fresh cucumber in grocery stores, mint and lavender in clothing stores, and leather and tobacco scents in car dealerships.

When Mirror Neurons Don’t Work

Here’s a fun experiment you can try with a pencil, five minutes, and a partner. Devised by Paula Niedenthal from the University of Wisconsin’s Emotion Lab, it goes like this:

• Sit facing each other.
• One person holds a pencil between their teeth.
• The other tells an emotional story.
• Switch roles and compare experiences.

Most people report that the listener, with the pencil in their teeth, finds it hard to focus on the story at first, distracted by the pencil. Even after getting used to it, understanding the story remains difficult. Why?

Emotion lab researchers say it’s because facial muscles can’t move, so signals don’t reach the mirror neurons. As a result, we can’t react to or understand others’ emotions as well. This is supported by people with Möbius syndrome—a congenital facial paralysis—who report difficulty understanding others’ emotions. Italian scientists in 2016 also found that people who receive Botox injections have a harder time recognizing others’ feelings and emotions.

Conclusions

We still don’t know enough about mirror neurons. Maybe everything written about them today will be explained differently in the future. Or maybe mirror neurons really do control all our emotions and actions—even our consciousness. Who knows?

In any case, the theories described here work (even if they could be explained another way). You’ve probably noticed this yourself. We don’t need to fully understand every aspect of our bodies to succeed. So believe in yourself, try new things, and keep moving toward your goals—you’ve got this!