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The ability to understand and share the feelings of another person, including both cognitive empathy (understanding what others feel) and affective empathy (feeling what others feel).
Empathy is the ability to understand (cognitive empathy) and share (affective empathy) another person's feelings. It's the foundation of connection and prosocial behavior.
Involves mirror neurons and the anterior insula for affective empathy, and theory of mind networks for cognitive empathy. Research distinguishes empathic accuracy (correctly reading emotions) from empathic concern (caring about others' wellbeing).
Assessed through reading-the-mind-in-the-eyes tests, empathic accuracy tasks, and self-report questionnaires. Behavioral observation of responses to others' distress also indicates empathy.
Nisbett, R. E. (2015). Mindware: Tools for Smart Thinking. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Sternberg, R. J. (2020). The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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Empathy is the ability to understand (cognitive empathy) and share (affective empathy) another person's feelings. It's the foundation of connection and prosocial behavior.
Empathy is understanding or feeling with someone from their perspective. Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone from your own perspective.
Yes. Excessive affective empathy can lead to empathic distress and burnout. Compassion (caring without suffering) is more sustainable.
Yes. Empathy can be developed through perspective-taking exercises, exposure to diverse experiences, mindfulness, and deliberate practice in emotional situations.
Low empathy can result from autism (affecting cognitive empathy), psychopathy (affecting affective empathy), trauma, or simply lack of development.
