Automatic imitation is the finding that movement execution is facilitated by compatible and
impeded by incompatible observed movements. In the past 15 years, automatic imitation has …

Racial discrimination in social behavior, although disapproved of by many contemporary
cultures, has been widely reported. Because empathy plays a key functional role in social …

The goal of this article is to discuss theoretical arguments concerning the idea that emotional
mimicry is an intrinsic part of our social being and thus can be considered a social act. For …

Highlights•Emotional mimicry is not a perceptual, but a social process.•Emotional mimicry
only occurs when affiliative goals are met.•Emotional mimicry differs from behavioral mimicry …

The self is one the most important concepts in social cognition and plays a crucial role in
determining questions such as which social groups we view ourselves as belonging to and …

According to social reward theories, automatic imitation can be understood as a means to
obtain positive social consequences. In line with this view, it has been shown that automatic …

Interpersonal motor alignment is a ubiquitous behavior in daily social life. It is a building
block for higher social cognition, including empathy and mentalizing and promotes positive …

Emotional displays of politicians can be persuasive. According to prominent psychological
theories, we can easily “catch” the emotional displays of others through mimicry and …

Individuals have the automatic tendency to imitate each other. A key prediction of different
theories explaining automatic imitation is that individuals imitate in-group members more …

Primates show various forms of behavioral contagion that are stronger between kin and
friends. As a result, behavioral contagion is thought to promote group coordination, social …