Positive Emotions Preferentially Engage an Auditory–Motor “Mirror” System

TLDR

Social interaction depends on reacting to communication signals, yet while visual mirror networks are known to support primate communication, evidence for a comparable auditory‑motor mirror system in nonverbal vocalization remains lacking. We demonstrate that human premotor regions activated during facial movement are also engaged by affective nonverbal vocalizations, with distinct subsystems responding to valence and arousal—positive valence preferentially activates left posterior inferior frontal cortex, while high arousal activates presupplementary motor area—showing that listening to emotional vocalizations automatically prepares orofacial gestures, especially for positive‑valence and high‑arousal emotions, and suggesting auditory‑motor interactions provide a fundamental mechanism for mirroring emotional states and fostering social cohesion.

Abstract

Social interaction relies on the ability to react to communication signals. Although cortical sensory-motor "mirror" networks are thought to play a key role in visual aspects of primate communication, evidence for a similar generic role for auditory-motor interaction in primate nonverbal communication is lacking. We demonstrate that a network of human premotor cortical regions activated during facial movement is also involved in auditory processing of affective nonverbal vocalizations. Within this auditory-motor mirror network, distinct functional subsystems respond preferentially to emotional valence and arousal properties of heard vocalizations. Positive emotional valence enhanced activation in a left posterior inferior frontal region involved in representation of prototypic actions, whereas increasing arousal enhanced activation in presupplementary motor area cortex involved in higher-order motor control. Our findings demonstrate that listening to nonverbal vocalizations can automatically engage preparation of responsive orofacial gestures, an effect that is greatest for positive-valence and high-arousal emotions. The automatic engagement of responsive orofacial gestures by emotional vocalizations suggests that auditory-motor interactions provide a fundamental mechanism for mirroring the emotional states of others during primate social behavior. Motor facilitation by positive vocal emotions suggests a basic neural mechanism for establishing cohesive bonds within primate social groups.