And first a question of vocabulary: “Cognitive empathy is the idea of putting oneself in another person’s shoes, of trying to understand their emotions and thoughts. Emotional empathy comes down to sharing the same emotion as ‘a third. Compassion, on the other hand, consists in feeling a tenderness in the face of the suffering of others and above all a motivation to want to help them. In the long term, empathy can therefore wear out where compassion is more resilient and constructive.
There is a difference in motivation to want to be empathetic between men and women.
Some events affect more than others. “We will have more empathy for people close to us but also for those who belong to our groups, political, social, ethnic…”, continues the specialist.
And speaking of politics, the camp to which we belong would have an influence on our capacity for empathy. For what reasons? Are women really more empathetic than men?
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Caroline Stevan and the Point J team