Are Mirror Neurons Just a Myth?

Mirror neurons -- cells that are activated in response to seeing other people act, ostensibly creating a picture in the brain of the self involved in that same action -- have received a lot of attention in recent years. Some scientists say they may underlie social experience and empathy.

It's a theory to which I've been sympathetic, in part because it supports my own belief that casually watching other people do things -- particularly violent things -- is not a neutral, association-free act.

But the mirror neuron theory is just that: a theory. They've only been observed in monkeys, not people. Alison Gopnik deconstructs the misconceptions perpetuated by an uncritical acceptance of this neurological reductionism:

First, it suggests that we can generalize directly from other animals to people. [...]

Second, the myth suggests that brain structure is innate. It assumes that we’re born with these special cells that then allow us to connect with other people. [...]

Third, the myth leads us to believe that brain-imaging studies can tell us what neurons do. Despite all the enthusiastic press coverage, no one knows for sure if humans even have mirror neurons. [...]

A fourth misconception perpetuated by the myth holds that a single type of cell can be responsible for a single type of experience. Could the human “mirror system” work because it’s made up of lots of mirror neurons? No. Experiences and behaviors are never going to be the result of just one kind of cell, or even several kinds.

Cells That Read Minds? [Slate]
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Image: Paul Armstrong*