Empathy is the ability to emotionally understand what other people feel, see things from their point of view, and imagine yourself in their place. Essentially, it is putting yourself in someone else’s position and feeling what they are feeling. The ability to feel empathy allows people to “walk a mile in another’s shoes.”
Impact of Empathy
Your ability to experience empathy can impact your relationships. Studies have found that when empathy is high, siblings have less conflict and more warmth toward each other.
- Not everyone experiences empathy in every situation. Some people may be more naturally empathetic in general, but people also tend to feel more empathy toward some people and less so toward others.
A Word From Verywell
While empathy might be lacking in some, most people are able to empathize with others in a variety of situations.
Tips for Practicing Empathy
Work on listening to people without interrupting
- Pay attention to body language and other types of nonverbal communication
- Try to understand people, even when you don’t agree with them
- Ask people questions
- Imagine yourself in another person’s shoes
- Strengthen your connection with others to learn more about how they feel
- Seek to identify biases you may have and how they affect your empathy for others
- Look for ways in which you are similar to others versus focusing on differences
- Be willing to be vulnerable, opening up about how you feel
Barriers to Empathy
Some people lack empathy and, therefore, aren’t able to understand what another person may be experiencing or feeling.
- This can result in behaviors that seem uncaring or sometimes even hurtful, such as cyberbullying and narcissistic personality disorder.
Dehumanization
Many fall victim to the trap of thinking that people who are different from them don’t feel and behave the same as they do
- This is particularly common in cases when other people are physically distant
- For example, when they watch reports of a disaster or conflict in a foreign land, people might be less likely to feel empathy if they think that those who are suffering are fundamentally different from themselves
Signs of empathy
Good at really listening to what others have to say
- Pick up on how others are feeling
- Think about how other people feel
- Help others who are suffering
- Care deeply about other people
- Find it difficult to set boundaries in your relationships
Types of Empathy
Affective empathy – the ability to understand another person’s emotions and respond appropriately
- Somatic empathy – having a physical reaction in response to what someone else is experiencing
- Cognitive empathy – understanding another person’s mental state and thinking about what they might be thinking
Potential Pitfalls of Empathy
Empathy fatigue refers to the exhaustion you might feel both emotionally and physically after repeatedly being exposed to stressful or traumatic events.
- Studies also show that if healthcare workers can’t balance their feelings of empathy (affective empathy, in particular), it can result in compassion fatigue as well.
Causes of Empathy
Human beings are certainly capable of selfish, even cruel, behavior. Why don’t we all engage in such self-serving behavior all the time?
Neuroscientific Explanations
Different regions of the brain play an important role in empathy including anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula
- The activation of mirror neurons in the brain plays a part in the ability to mirror and mimic the emotional responses that people would feel if they were in similar situations
- Functional MRI research indicates that an area in the frontal cortex known as the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) plays a critical role in the experience of empathy
- Studies have found that people with damage to the IFG often have difficulty recognizing emotions conveyed through facial expressions
Victim Blaming
Sometimes, when another person has suffered a terrible experience, people make the mistake of blaming the victim for their circumstances
Cognitive Biases
Sometimes the way people perceive the world around them is influenced by cognitive biases
Emotional Explanations
One of the earliest explorations into the topic of empathy centered on how feeling what others feel allows people to have a variety of emotional experiences.
Prosocial Explanations
Sociologist Herbert Spencer proposed that empathy served an adaptive function and aided in the survival of the species
Uses for Empathy
Empathy allows you to build social connections with others
- By understanding what people are thinking and feeling, you are able to respond appropriately in social situations
- It helps you learn to regulate your own emotions
- Promotes helping behaviors – you are more likely to engage in helpful behaviors when you feel empathy for other people
