Poulin, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at the University at Buffalo who studies how people respond to others’ adversity. Overidentifying with someone else’s emotions can be stressful, leading to a cardiovascular stress response similar to what you’d experience in the same painful or threatening situation, said Michael J. However, empathy can be a draining skill if not practiced correctly. The right kind of empathyĮmpathy is often crucial for psychologists working with patients in practice, especially when patients are seeking validation of their feelings. “If you’re trying to develop empathy in yourself or in others, you have to make sure you’re developing the right kind,” said Sara Konrath, PhD, an associate professor of social psychology at Indiana University who studies empathy and altruism. To develop empathy that actually helps people requires strategy.

In spite of its potential benefits, empathy itself isn’t an automatic path toward social good.

Similarly, Okonofua and colleagues found empathy from parole officers can prevent adults on probation from reoffending ( PNAS, Vol. When Okonofua and his colleagues created an intervention to help teachers build positive relationships with students and value their perspectives, their increased empathy reduced punitive discipline ( PNAS, Vol. These labels, Okonofua said, can shape how teachers interpret behavior, forging a path toward students’ school failure and incarceration.

Jason Okonofua, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, has found that teachers are more likely to employ severe discipline with Black students-and that they’re more likely to label Black students as “troublemakers” ( Psychological Science, Vol. 1, 1997).Įmpathy may also be a crucial ingredient in mitigating bias and systemic racism. For example, Batson’s past research highlights that empathy can help people adopt more positive attitudes and helping behavior toward stigmatized groups, particularly disabled and homeless individuals and those with AIDS ( Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. “Empathic people ask themselves, ‘Maybe I need to find out more before I jump to a harsh judgment,’” she said.Įmpathy can also promote better relationships with strangers. 6, 2020).Īnn Rumble, PhD, a psychology lecturer at Northern Arizona University, found empathy can override noncooperation, causing people to be more generous and forgiving and less retaliative ( European Journal of Social Psychology, Vol. E., et al., The Journal of Positive Psychology, Vol. Daniel Batson, PhD, a professor emeritus of social psychology at the University of Kansas, suggests empathy can motivate people to help someone else in need ( Altruism in Humans, Oxford University Press, 2011), and a 2019 study suggests empathy levels predict charitable donation behavior (Smith, K. “Scholars have shown across domains that empathy motivates many types of prosocial behaviors, such as forgiveness, volunteering, and helping, and that it’s negatively associated with things like aggression and bullying.”įor example, research by C. “In general, empathy is a powerful predictor of things we consider to be positive behaviors that benefit society, individuals, and relationships,” said Karina Schumann, PhD, a professor of social psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. And even if empathy doesn’t come naturally, research suggests people can cultivate it-and hopefully improve society as a result. As empathy researcher and Stanford University psychologist Jamil Zaki, PhD, describes it, empathy is the “psychological ‘superglue’ that connects people and undergirds co-operation and kindness” ( The Economist, June 7, 2019). Beneficial as those traits are, psychological research suggests empathy may be the umbrella trait required to develop all these virtues. In a society marked by increasing division, we could all be a bit more kind, cooperative, and tolerant toward others.

Tips for empathetic listening