{"id":5047,"date":"2025-07-17T23:40:33","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T18:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ksrini.life\/29035f-co-nz\/journal\/?p=5047"},"modified":"2025-07-17T23:40:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T18:10:21","slug":"cultivating-empathy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ksrini.life\/29035f-co-nz\/journal\/cultivating-empathy\/5047\/","title":{"rendered":"Cultivating empathy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cultivating empathy<\/h1>\n
\n

Psychologists\u2019 research offers insight into why it\u2019s so important to practice the \u201cright\u201d kind of empathy, and how to grow these skills<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In a society marked by increasing division, we could all be a bit more kind, cooperative, and tolerant toward others. Beneficial as those traits are, psychological research suggests empathy may be the umbrella trait required to develop all these virtues. As empathy researcher and Stanford University psychologist Jamil Zaki, PhD, describes it, empathy is the \u201cpsychological \u2018superglue\u2019 that connects people and undergirds co-operation and kindness\u201d (The Economist<\/em><\/a>, June 7, 2019). And even if empathy doesn\u2019t come naturally, research suggests people can cultivate it\u2014and hopefully improve society as a result.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn general, empathy is a powerful predictor of things we consider to be positive behaviors that benefit society, individuals, and relationships,\u201d said\u00a0Karina Schumann<\/a>, PhD, a professor of social psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. \u201cScholars have shown across domains that empathy motivates many types of prosocial behaviors, such as forgiveness, volunteering, and helping, and that it\u2019s negatively associated with things like aggression and bullying.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example, research by\u00a0C. Daniel Batson<\/a>, 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<\/em>,<\/a>\u00a0Oxford University Press, 2011), and a 2019 study suggests empathy levels predict charitable donation behavior (Smith, K. E., et al.,\u00a0The Journal of Positive Psychology<\/em><\/a>, Vol. 15, No. 6, 2020).<\/p>\n

Ann Rumble<\/a>, 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<\/em><\/a>, Vol. 40, No. 5, 2010). \u201cEmpathic people ask themselves, \u2018Maybe I need to find out more before I jump to a harsh judgment,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Empathy can also promote better relationships with strangers. For example, Batson\u2019s 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<\/a><\/em>, Vol. 72, No. 1, 1997).<\/p>\n

Empathy may also be a crucial ingredient in mitigating bias and systemic racism.\u00a0Jason Okonofua<\/a>, 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\u2014and that they\u2019re more likely to label Black students as \u201ctroublemakers\u201d (Psychological Science<\/em><\/a>, Vol. 26, No. 5, 2015).<\/p>\n

These labels, Okonofua said, can shape how teachers interpret behavior, forging a path toward students\u2019 school failure and incarceration. 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<\/em><\/a>, Vol. 113, No. 19, 2016).<\/p>\n

Similarly, Okonofua and colleagues found empathy from parole officers can prevent adults on probation from reoffending (PNAS<\/em><\/a>, Vol. 118, No. 14, 2021).<\/p>\n

In spite of its potential benefits, empathy itself isn\u2019t an automatic path toward social good. To develop empathy that actually helps people requires strategy. \u201cIf you\u2019re trying to develop empathy in yourself or in others, you have to make sure you\u2019re developing the right kind,\u201d said\u00a0Sara Konrath<\/a>, PhD, an associate professor of social psychology at Indiana University who studies empathy and altruism.<\/p>\n

The right kind of empathy<\/h2>\n

Empathy is often crucial for psychologists working with patients in practice, especially when patients are seeking validation of their feelings. However, empathy can be a draining skill if not practiced correctly. Overidentifying with someone else\u2019s emotions can be stressful, leading to a cardiovascular stress response similar to what you\u2019d experience in the same painful or threatening situation, said\u00a0Michael J. Poulin<\/a>, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at the University at Buffalo who studies how people respond to others\u2019 adversity.<\/p>\n

Outside of clinical practice, some scholars argue empathy is unhelpful and even damaging. For example,\u00a0Paul Bloom, PhD<\/a>, a professor of psychology at Yale University, argues that because empathy directs helping behavior toward specific individuals\u2014most often, those in one\u2019s own group\u2014it may prevent more beneficial help to others (Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion<\/a>,\u00a0Ecco<\/em>, 2016).<\/p>\n

In some cases, empathy may also promote antagonism and aggression (Buffone, A. E. K., & Poulin, M. J.,\u00a0Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin<\/em><\/a>, Vol. 40, No. 11, 2014). For example,\u00a0Daryl Cameron<\/a>, PhD, an associate professor of psychology and senior research associate in the Rock Ethics Institute and director of the Empathy and Moral Psychology Lab at Penn State University, has found that apparent biases in empathy like parochialism and the numbness to mass suffering may sometimes be due to motivated choices. He also notes that empathy can still have risks in some cases. \u201cThere are times when what looks like empathy promotes favoritism at the expense of the outgroup,\u201d said Cameron.<\/p>\n

Many of these negative outcomes are associated with a type of empathy called self-oriented perspective taking\u2014imagining yourself in someone else\u2019s shoes. \u201cHow you take the perspective can make a difference,\u201d said\u00a0John Dovidio<\/a>, PhD, the Carl I. Hovland Professor Emeritus of Psychology and a professor emeritus in the Institute for Social and Policy Studies and of Epidemiology at Yale University. \u201cWhen you ask me to imagine myself in another person\u2019s position,\u201d Dovidio said, \u201cI may experience a lot of personal distress, which can interfere with prosocial behaviors.\u201d Taking on that emotional burden, Schumann added, could also increase your own risk for distressing emotions, such as anxiety.<\/p>\n

According to Konrath, the form of empathy shown most beneficial for both the giver and the receiver is an other-oriented response. \u201cIt\u2019s a cognitive style of perspective taking where someone imagines another person\u2019s perspective, reads their emotions, and can understand them in general,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Other-oriented perspective taking may result in empathic concern, also known as compassion, which could be seen as an emotional response to a cognitive process. It\u2019s that emotion that may trigger helping behavior. \u201cIf I simply understand you\u2019re in trouble, I may not act, but emotion energizes me,\u201d said Dovidio.<\/p>\n

While many practitioners may find empathy to come naturally, psychologists\u2019 research can help clinicians guide patients toward other-oriented empathy and can also help practitioners struggling with compassion fatigue to re-up their empathy. According to Poulin, people are more likely to opt out of empathy if it feels cognitively or emotionally taxing, which could impact psychologists\u2019 ability to effectively support their patients.<\/p>\n

To avoid compassion fatigue with patients\u2014and maintain the empathy required for helping them\u2014Poulin said it\u2019s important to reflect on the patient\u2019s feeling or experience without necessarily trying to feel it yourself. \u201cIt\u2019s about putting yourself in the right role,\u201d he said. \u201cYour goal isn\u2019t to be the sufferer, but to be the caregiver.\u201d<\/p>\n

Be willing to grow<\/h2>\n

Cameron\u2019s research found that the cognitive costs of empathy could cause people to avoid it but that it may be possible to increase empathy by teaching people to do it effectively (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General<\/a><\/em>, Vol. 148, No. 6, 2019).<\/p>\n

Further, research by Schumann and Zaki shows that the desire to grow in empathy can be a driver in cultivating it. They found people can extend empathic effort\u2014asking questions and listening longer to responses\u2014in situations where they feel different than someone, primarily if they believe empathy could be developed with effort (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology<\/em><\/a>, Vol. 107, No. 3, 2014).<\/p>\n

Similarly,\u00a0Erika Weisz<\/a>, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at Harvard University, said that the first step to increasing your empathy is to adopt a growth mindset\u2014to believe you\u2019re capable of growing in empathy.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who believe that empathy can grow try harder to empathize when it doesn\u2019t come naturally to them, for instance, by empathizing with people who are unfamiliar to them or different than they are, compared to people who believe empathy is a stable trait,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For example, Weisz found addressing college students\u2019 empathy mindsets increases the accuracy with which they perceive others\u2019 emotions; it also tracks with the number of friends college freshmen make during their first year on campus (Emotion<\/em><\/a>, online first publication, 2020).<\/p>\n

Expose yourself to differences<\/h2>\n

To imagine another\u2019s perspective, the more context, the better.\u00a0Shereen Naser<\/a>, PhD, a professor of psychology at Cleveland State University, said consuming diverse media\u2014for example, a White person reading books or watching movies with a \u00adnon-White protagonist\u2014and even directly participating in someone else\u2019s culture can provide a backdrop against which to adopt someone else\u2019s perspective.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re in these situations, be fully present. \u201cPaying attention to other people allows you to be moved by their experiences,\u201d said\u00a0Sara Hodges<\/a>, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of Oregon. \u201cWhether you are actively \u00adperspective-taking or not, if you just pay more attention to other people, you\u2019re likely to feel more concerned for them and become more involved in their experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example, in a course focused on diversity, Naser encourages her graduate students to visit a community they\u2019ve never spent time in. \u201cOne student came back saying they felt like an outsider when they attended a Hindu celebration and that they realized that\u2019s what marginalized people feel like every day,\u201d she said. Along with decreasing your bias, such realizations could also spark a deeper understanding of another\u2019s culture\u2014and why they might think or feel the way they do.<\/p>\n

Read fiction<\/h2>\n

Raymond Mar<\/a>, PhD, a professor of psychology at York University in Toronto, studies how reading fiction and other kinds of character-driven stories can help people better understand others and the world. \u201cTo understand stories, we have to understand characters, their motivations, interactions, reactions, and goals,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s possible that while understanding stories, we can improve our ability to understand real people in the real world at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

When you engage with a story, you\u2019re also engaging the same cognitive abilities you\u2019d use during social cognition (Current Directions in Psychological Science<\/em><\/a>, Vol. 27, No. 4, 2018). You can get the same effect with any medium\u2014live theater, a show on Netflix, or a novel\u2014as long as it has core elements of a narrative, story, and characters.<\/p>\n

The more one practices empathy (e.g., by relating to fictional characters), the more perspectives one can absorb while not feeling that one\u2019s own is threatened. \u201cThe foundation of empathy has to be a willingness to listen to other peoples\u2019 experiences and to believe they\u2019re valid,\u201d Mar said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to deny your own experience to accept someone else\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harness the power of oxytocin<\/h2>\n

The social hormone oxytocin also plays a role in facilitating empathy.\u00a0Bianca Jones Marlin<\/a>, PhD, a neuroscientist and assistant professor of psychology at Columbia University, found that mice that had given birth are more likely to pick up crying pups than virgin animals and that the oxytocin released during the birth and parenting process actually changes the hearing centers of the brain to motivate prosocial and survival behaviors (Nature<\/em><\/a>, Vol. 520, No. 7548, 2015).<\/p>\n

Oxytocin can also breed helping responses in those who don\u2019t have a blood relationship; when Marlin added oxytocin to virgin mice\u2019s hearing centers, they took care of pups that weren\u2019t theirs. \u201cIt\u2019s as if biology has prepared us to take care of those who can\u2019t take care of themselves,\u201d she said. \u201cBut that\u2019s just a baseline; it\u2019s up to us as a society to build this in our relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through oxytocin-releasing behaviors like eye contact and soft physical touch, Marlin said humans can harness the power of oxytocin to promote empathy and helping behaviors in certain contexts. Oxytocin is also known to mediate ingroup and outgroup feelings.<\/p>\n

The key, Marlin said, is for both parties to feel connected and unthreatened. To overcome that hurdle, she suggests a calm but direct approach: Try saying, \u201cI don\u2019t agree with your views, but I want to learn more about what led you to that perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n

Identify common ground<\/h2>\n

Feeling a sense of social connection is an important part of triggering prosocial behaviors. \u201cYou perceive the person as a member of your own group, or because the situation is so compelling that your common humanity is aroused,\u201d Dovidio said. \u201cWhen you experience this empathy, it motivates you to help the other person, even at a personal cost to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

One way to boost this motivation is to manipulate who you see as your ingroup.\u00a0Jay Van Bavel<\/a>, PhD, an associate professor of psychology and neural science at New York University, found that in the absence of an existing social connection, finding a shared identity can promote empathy (Journal of Experimental Social Psychology<\/em><\/a>, Vol. 55, 2014). \u201cWe find over and over again when people have a common identity, even if it\u2019s created in the moment, they are more motivated to get inside the mind of another person,\u201d Van Bavel said.<\/p>\n

For example, Van Bavel has conducted fMRI research that suggests being placed on the same team for a work activity can increase cooperation and trigger positive feelings for individuals once perceived as outgroup, even among different races (Psychological Science<\/em>,<\/a>\u00a0Vol. 19, No. 11, 2008).<\/p>\n

To motivate empathy in your own interactions, find similarities instead of focusing on differences. For instance, maybe you and a neighbor have polar opposite political ideologies, but your kids are the same age and go to the same school. Build on that similarity to create more empathy. \u201cWe contain multiple identities, and part of being socially intelligent is finding the identity you share,\u201d Van Bavel said.<\/p>\n

Ask questions<\/h2>\n

Existing research often measures a person\u2019s empathy by accuracy\u2014how well people can label someone\u2019s face as angry, sad, or happy, for example.\u00a0Alexandra Main<\/a>, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of California, Merced, said curiosity and interest can also be an important component of empathy. \u201cMind reading isn\u2019t always the way empathy works in everyday life. It\u2019s more about actively trying to appreciate someone\u2019s point of view,\u201d she said. If you\u2019re in a situation and struggling with empathy, it\u2019s not necessarily that you don\u2019t care\u2014your difficulty may be because you don\u2019t understand that person\u2019s perspective. Asking questions and engaging in curiosity is one way to change that.<\/p>\n

While Main\u2019s research focuses on parent-child relationships, she says the approach also applies to other relationship dynamics; for example, curiosity about why your spouse doesn\u2019t do the dishes might help you understand influencing factors and, as a result, prevent conflict and promote empathy.<\/p>\n

Main suggests asking open-ended questions to the person you want to show empathy to, and providing nonverbal cues like nodding when someone\u2019s talking can encourage that person to share more. Certain questions, like ones you should already know the answer to, can have the opposite effect, as can asking personal questions when your social partner doesn\u2019t wish to share.<\/p>\n

The important thing is to express interest. \u201cThese kinds of behaviors are really facilitative of disclosure and open discussion,\u201d Main said. \u201cAnd in the long term, expressing interest in another person can facilitate empathy in the relationship\u201d (Social Development<\/em>,<\/a>\u00a0Vol. 28, No. 3, 2019).<\/p>\n

Understand your blocks<\/h2>\n

Research suggests everyone has empathy blocks, or areas where it is difficult to exhibit empathy. To combat these barriers to prosocial behavior, Schumann suggests noticing your patterns and focusing on areas where you feel it\u2019s hard to connect to people and relate to their experiences.<\/p>\n

If you find it hard to be around negative people, for example, confront this difficulty and spend time with them. Try to reflect on a time when you had a negative outlook on something and observe how they relate. And as you listen, don\u2019t interrupt or formulate rebuttals or responses.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe person will feel so much more validated and heard when they\u2019ve really had an opportunity to voice their opinion, and most of the time people will reciprocate,\u201d Schumann said. \u201cYou might still disagree strongly, but you will have a stronger sense of why they have the perspective they do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Second-guess yourself<\/h2>\n

Much of empathy boils down to willingness to learn\u2014and all learning involves questioning your assumptions and automatic reactions in both big-picture issues, such as racism, and everyday interactions. According to Rumble, it\u2019s important to be mindful of \u201cwhat-ifs\u201d in frustrating situations before jumping to snap judgments. For example, if a patient is continually late to appointments, don\u2019t assume they don\u2019t take therapy seriously\u2013\u2013something else, like stress or unreliable transportation, might be getting in the way of their timeliness.<\/p>\n

And if you do find yourself making a negative assumption, slow down and admit you could be wrong. \u201cAs scientists, we \u00adsecond-guess our assumptions all the time, looking for alternative explanations,\u201d said Hodges. \u201cWe need to do that as people, too.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cultivating empathy Psychologists\u2019 research offers insight into why it\u2019s so important to practice the \u201cright\u201d kind of empathy, and how to grow these skills In a society marked by increasing division, we could all be a bit more kind, cooperative, and tolerant toward others. Beneficial as those traits are, psychological research suggests empathy may be<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5048,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[314,311,310],"tags":[605],"class_list":["post-5047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guest-columnist","category-research-insights","category-whats-trending","tag-wahi-whakaaro","enable-dropcap","disable-2-columns"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCultivating empathy - 29035f Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ksrini.life\/29035f-co-nz\/journal\/cultivating-empathy\/5047\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cultivating empathy - 29035f Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cultivating empathy Psychologists\u2019 research offers insight into why it\u2019s so important to practice the \u201cright\u201d kind of empathy, and how to grow these skills In a society marked by increasing division, we could all be a bit more kind, cooperative, and tolerant toward others. Beneficial as those traits are, psychological research suggests empathy may be\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ksrini.life\/29035f-co-nz\/journal\/cultivating-empathy\/5047\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"29035f Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-17T18:10:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-17T18:10:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ksrini.life\/29035f-co-nz\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/6b8ed6be31f080816ed7d49076e5a2d5-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"523\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"29035f Journal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SosialThe\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SosialThe\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"29035f Journal\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ksrini.life\/29035f-co-nz\/journal\/cultivating-empathy\/5047\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ksrini.life\/29035f-co-nz\/journal\/cultivating-empathy\/5047\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"29035f Journal\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ksrini.life\/29035f-co-nz\/journal\/#\/schema\/person\/bf3ac55ccf9b7d92f2fbc85c76f3fbe0\"},\"headline\":\"Cultivating empathy\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-17T18:10:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-17T18:10:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ksrini.life\/29035f-co-nz\/journal\/cultivating-empathy\/5047\/\"},\"wordCount\":2789,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ksrini.life\/29035f-co-nz\/journal\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ksrini.life\/29035f-co-nz\/journal\/cultivating-empathy\/5047\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/ksrini.life\/29035f-co-nz\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/6b8ed6be31f080816ed7d49076e5a2d5-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Wahi- Whakaaro\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Guest Columnist\",\"Research Insights\",\"What\u2019s Trending\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ksrini.life\/29035f-co-nz\/journal\/cultivating-empathy\/5047\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ksrini.life\/29035f-co-nz\/journal\/cultivating-empathy\/5047\/\",\"name\":\"Cultivating empathy - 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