mirror neurons make us cry when we see someone else cry or smile when someone smiles at us. our mirror neurons actually feel what they feel. they cry and smile along with them.
how, then, can mirror neurons bring about altruistic behavior? by helping us feel what others feel, mirror neurons naturally make us feel compassionate. they allow us to put ourselves in someone else's situation ; without them, we would not understand or care about other people's emotions. would we help hurricane victims? give money to the poor? save lives? probably not, says marco iacoboni, a leading neuroscientist: " we are good because our biology drives us to be good " in other words, mirror neurons seem to prepare us to be altruistic