Empathy

Ability to understand and share the feelings of others.

compassion emotional understanding

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, often involving emotional resonance or perspective-taking. It plays a crucial role in social bonding and interpersonal communication.

/ˈem.pə.θi/

From Greek empatheia, from empathein 'to feel in', from en- 'in' + pathos 'feeling'.

Empathy is like stepping into someone else's shoes to understand how they feel, like when a friend is sad and you try to imagine why.

Empathy is linked to prosocial behavior, like helping others
Neuroscientific studies show brain activity similar in the person experiencing emotion and the observer showing empathy
Some animals, like dogs, may exhibit empathetic behaviors

What is empathy? It's the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person
How does it differ from sympathy? Empathy involves understanding someone's feelings, while sympathy is feeling sorry for them
Is empathy learned? Yes, it can be developed and strengthened through practice

compassion understanding sensitivity

emotional intelligence social cognition

compassion emotional contagion

social interaction interpersonal relationship

psychological concept psychological trait social behavior