Rehumanizing the dehumanized: Neural responses for the unhoused using dimension-based rehumanization

COEX 

Despite our need for societal inclusion and empathy, dehumanization is an affliction of society that undermines humanity. Functional neuroimaging (fMRI) studies show that unhoused individuals are prevalently dehumanized (Tan & Harris, 2021). Viewing pictures of unhoused individuals evokes neural activity commonly associated with disgust and reduced mentalizing (Harris & Fiske, 2006). In contrast, observing high status groups (e.g., white, middle class) evokes neural activity associated with positive humanized feelings, including increased activity in mentalizing and somatomotor regions relative to viewing unhoused individuals (Harris & Fiske, 2009). Whether it is possible to re-engage neural circuits to rehumanize the unhoused, and what dimensions may be particularly relevant, remains unknown. To this aim, we conducted an fMRI study to rehumanize perceptions of unhoused individuals, aimed at revealing informative dimensions for rehumanization and their neural correlates.