Abstract: A fundamental question in social neuroscience concerns the mechanisms by which individuals understand and respond to the emotional states of others. Theories of embodied simulation and shared representation posit that understanding others is intrinsically linked to self-processing, suggesting that emotional processing and self-referential processing are not isolated, but rather interdependent mechanisms integrated within the social brain. Emotional Contagion (EC)—the tendency to "catch" or resonate with others' emotions—is a key manifestation of this process. However, the direct neural evidence linking EC to a basic form of self-processing, specifically Physical Self-Representation (PSR) via self-face processing, remains largely unexplored. Identifying this shared neural mechanism is essential for clarifying the fundamental embodied reference frame used in social interaction. This meta-analysis aimed to systematically and quantitatively investigate the shared neural substrates between emotional contagion and physical self-representation (operationalized as self-face recognition tasks). Furthermore, by employing Meta-Analytic Connectivity Modeling (MACM), we sought to move beyond simple anatomical overlap to explore the functional network organization and connectivity patterns of these shared regions, thereby providing more function-specific and network-level evidence for the shared representation theory. Based on 56 eligible fMRI studies, the ALE analysis revealed robust convergence in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), bilateral insula, and fusiform gyrus (FG) across both emotional contagion tasks and self-face recognition tasks. These regions constitute core nodes of the fronto-parietal action observation network and the salience network, supporting embodied simulation, interoceptive integration, and self-referential processing. MACM analyses further demonstrated consistent co-activation patterns across IFG- and insula-based networks, converging on the middle frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, superior and inferior parietal lobule, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and occipitotemporal cortices. These results indicate that the shared mechanisms are embedded not only in focal regions but also in broader functional networks underlying action-perception coupling, attention regulation, and self - other integration. Synthesizing these findings, we propose that emotional contagion and physical self-representation are linked through a multilayered embodied mechanism. At the perceptual stage, FG sensitivity to self-related or socially meaningful faces suggests that self-relevance modulates early social perception. At the sensorimotor stage, overlapping IFG and IPL activation supports automatic motor simulation involved in both emotion mimicry and self-recognition. At the interoceptive and salience-processing level, the insula and dorsal ACC integrate external emotional cues with internal bodily states, forming a basis for mapping others’ emotions onto one’s own experiential framework. This integrative architecture also explains individual differences in emotional contagion: individuals are more susceptible to synchronizing and sharing that emotion with close relationship partners than they are with strangers. This divergence in response is driven by underlying variations in the targets’self-relevance, social significance, and the congruence of internal physiological states Taken together, this study provides the first meta-analytic evidence for a shared embodied neural architecture linking emotional contagion and physical self-representation. The findings advance current understanding of dynamic self - other mapping and offer a unified neural framework for interpersonal emotional processing.

Key words: Emotional Contagion, Physical Self-representation, Mirror Neuron System, ALE meta-analysis, Insula