Articles tagged with Empathy
A new study reveals that powerful hierarchical situations can make it easier to commit harmful actions, as agency and empathy are split across multiple individuals. Commanders and intermediaries show reduced activation in empathic brain regions when pain is inflicted on the victim compared to people who can decide and act for themselves.
A new USC study reveals that new fathers undergo measurable brain changes after their babies arrive, affecting areas linked to empathy and visual processing. These changes are believed to contribute to neuroplasticity and adapt to new experiences.
A study at the University of Helsinki found that people accept human nurses overruling patient autonomy but reject similar decisions made by robots. The researchers suggest that human empathy is required to consider robot-made solutions equally acceptable as those made by humans. The findings imply that machines cannot comprehensively ...
A new study found that financial incentives enhance prosocial decisions in people with low empathy levels. However, this effect does not change the underlying motivation, which remains egoistic. In high empathic individuals, financial incentives have no impact on decision-making.
Researchers found that increasing active listening and empathy in a firm's response can evoke customer gratitude, even if the actual failure is not yet recovered. The study shows that these strategies can be easy-to-implement implications for companies handling complaints via social media.
Researchers pinpointed the anterior cingulate cortex gyrus (ACCg) as the brain area involved in effortful altruistic behaviour. Individuals with high empathy levels showed stronger effort patterns in ACCg, suggesting a link between emotional connection and helping behaviour.
A study by UC Berkeley researchers finds that a lack of sleep reduces the desire to help others, with real-world consequences. The study assessed brain activity in healthy volunteers and tracked online behavior over three nights, revealing a significant decrease in charitable giving after a night of no sleep.
A study found that higher empathy in adolescents is linked to lower odds of cyberbullying others based on their race, religion, or other identity factors. Cognitive empathy was the key factor in reducing bias-based cyberbullying.
A study published in PLOS One found that using hand signals, such as waving or raising a hand to show empathy, can improve communication and social connection in online meetings. The research team trained participants to use these gestures, which led to better interaction, increased feelings of closeness, and improved learning outcomes.
A recent study found that patients vividly remember the way they were told they had their condition, which affects their perception of vision loss and interactions with others. Clinicians should consider empathetic communication when delivering bad news to minimize long-term psychological impact.
A new study published in PNAS found that physicians prescribe less pain medication during night shifts than during the day. Researchers attribute this discrepancy to reduced empathy among doctors on night shifts. The study analyzed data from 13,482 discharge letters and found a significant bias towards prescribing fewer painkillers at ...
A new study found that doctors working overnight shifts are less likely to prescribe pain relievers due to decreased empathy for patient pain. This bias can lead to under-prescription of analgesics, especially at night shifts, highlighting the need for more structured guidelines and education.
A team of researchers at Kyoto University found that social ties can have a bipolar effect on relationships, with positive interactions strengthened by negative ones. Cognitive flexibility may help mitigate the dark side of social ties, such as empathic distress and stigma-related anxiety.
A new PLOS study found that heterosexual couples who meet each other's love language preferences experience higher levels of relationship and sexual satisfaction. The study, which surveyed 100 couples over 6 months to 24 years, suggests that focusing on partners' love-language needs could be effective in relationship counseling.
The Stoneygate Centre for Excellence in Empathic Healthcare will embed empathy into Medical School curriculum and expand across the UK. Professor Jeremy Howick's research shows that empathic care improves patient pain and satisfaction with care.
A study found that domesticated pigs and horses, as well as Asian wild horses, can tell the difference between positively and negatively charged sounds. The animals reacted stronger to negatively charged voices and showed mirroring of emotions.
A new study by Southern Methodist University researchers suggests that people with high empathic accuracy and affect sharing skills can better understand emotions conveyed through music. The findings provide a foundation for future research on the impact of socially engaged music listening on social cognition.
A kindness training program adapted from Children's Kindness Network improves both parents' resilience and children's empathy. The study found that teaching kindness at home boosts parental resilience and enhances emotional intelligence in preschoolers, supporting overall brain health.
A new Penn State study found that people are more likely to choose empathy for an animal over a human, but only when the choices are not in competition. When context matters, people's willingness to engage in human empathy decreases, while their interest in animal empathy increases.
The new Stoneygate Centre for Excellence in Empathic Healthcare will develop and deliver empathy-focused training for medical students and professionals across the UK. This unique Centre will make empathy an integral part of all aspects of medical training, aiming to improve patient care and practitioner resilience.
A new study found that siblings of children with disabilities score higher in self-reported cognitive empathy than typically developing peers. This may be due to the specific 'advantage' of cognitive empathy in understanding and supporting their sibling relationship.
A new study found that siblings of children with disabilities exhibit greater cognitive empathy, understanding their sibling's thoughts and feelings. This increased empathy is linked to improved social skills and prosocial behavior in these individuals.
Researchers observed chimpanzees in Gabon applying insects to their wounds and those of others, demonstrating prosocial behaviors linked to empathy. The study suggests that these actions may be evidence of an innate capacity for selfless care in non-human primates.
A new study by Concordia PhD student Lamiae Aidi examines how Muslim stand-up comedians use incongruity, performativity, and everydayness to demystify their community. By sharing personal experiences and poking fun at stereotypes, these comedians aim to create awareness around problems of discrimination and misunderstandings.
Middle-aged women with higher self-compassion had thinner carotid artery walls and less plaque buildup, linked to lower cardiovascular disease risk. The findings persisted even when controlling for behaviors and psychological factors.
A study found a significant increase in requests for anti-racism books and materials following police brutality events and BLM protests, particularly among teachers of younger students. The demand for inclusive curriculum materials also rose sharply, with over $3.4 million worth of books acquired for half a million students.
Research finds approximately one-third of the population experience sensitivities when seeing others fidget, leading to emotional and social impacts. Individuals with misokinesia report difficulty in social situations, work environments, and learning spaces, with impacts increasing with age.
A new study suggests some people choose to avoid feeling compassion, citing it as mentally taxing. However, when choosing to feel compassion towards close family members, the experience is easier and less challenging.
Research by Anglia Ruskin University suggests that empathy training programs can reduce antisocial behavior and crime. Programs targeting young people have been shown to increase empathy and decrease cyberbullying behavior, while pre-natal training for parents and social-emotional learning programs in schools may also be effective.
Researchers develop hands-on labs to educate high school students about AI and cybersecurity ethics issues, aiming to increase empathy for vulnerable populations. The project uses functional near-infrared spectroscopy to assess the impact of these labs on brain regions associated with empathy.
A new study found that teens with secure family relationships at age 14 provide greater empathic support to their close friends across adolescence. They also tend to receive more support from their friends, suggesting a reciprocal relationship between the two.
A new study from the University of Pennsylvania found that Americans dramatically overestimate the number of migrants affiliated with gangs and children being trafficked. Researchers developed interventions to address this misinformation and increase empathy, resulting in improved attitudes toward immigrants.
A review of virtual reality training programs found that they can elicit empathetic behavior in medical radiation technologists, improving patient-centered care. The study suggests VR may be an effective tool for learning care recipients' perspectives and controlling biases in future research.
A palliative care doctor suggests that studying Shakespeare's plays can help medical students connect more closely with their patients. The doctor argues that a study of Shakespeare's plays may be a creative way to enhance empathic approaches in medical students, creating a space for interpretation and reflection to experience empathy.
A new University of California, Berkeley study finds that nonjudgmental empathy training for court-appointed supervision officers can lead to a 13% decrease in recidivism among their clients. The findings are significant given the US criminal justice system's high rates of recidivism.
A randomized clinical trial found that wearing clear masks reveals surgeons' faces, improving patients' perceptions of communication, trust, and empathy. This study suggests a potential benefit to using clear masks in surgical clinics.
A recent study published in JAMA Surgery found that patients have a more difficult time understanding and building trust with their surgeons when they cannot see the surgeon's entire face due to masking requirements. Patients reported improved communication and higher ratings for surgeons who wore clear masks.
A study found specific brain regions respond differently to emotional stimuli related to loneliness and wisdom. Lonelier individuals showed increased activity in the left superior parietal cortex when presented with angry faces, while wiser individuals displayed enhanced happy emotion-driven activity in the left insula.
A new study of nearly 4,000 school children found that children who felt they had empathic support from their parents and caregivers were less likely to commit serious crimes. The research also showed that parental empathy enhanced the development of empathy in teenagers, which in turn reduced delinquent behavior.
Researchers developed a 'mind-reading questionnaire' to assess understanding of others' thoughts. Women scored higher than men, indicating better ability to put themselves in others' shoes.
Research at the University of Cambridge found that teaching children to empathise with others significantly improves their creative abilities. The study used a set of engineering design thinking tools to foster empathy in pupils aged 13-14. As a result, creativity scores increased by up to 78% among those who received the intervention.
Research found that individuals with lower power distance beliefs (egalitarian values) react more harshly to morally transgressing companies due to increased empathy for victims. Companies can improve standing by offering sincere apologies and remedies.
During the pandemic, female academics are sharing their experiences and advice on managing work-life balance while juggling caregiving responsibilities. The authors suggest finding peer support groups, saying no to non-essential tasks, and prioritizing self-care. They also emphasize the importance of recognizing individual differences ...
A Columbia University engineering team has created a robot that can visually predict its partner robot's future actions and goals, showcasing a primitive form of empathy. The 'Robot Theory of Mind' technology could enable robots to better interact with humans and other robots, leading to more intuitive social communication.
Researchers found that immersive virtual reality can reduce implicit racial bias when participants experience a neutral or positive social situation. However, a negative environment can lead to increased biases and decreased body ownership, suggesting caution in using VR as an empathy machine.
Research at University of Fukui shows that epigenetic modifications to the oxytocin gene are correlated with maternal empathy and personal distress. The study found a positive correlation between oxytocin gene methylation and harsh parenting.
A new study found that popular kids' TV shows and films depict up to 8.66 painful incidents per hour, often focusing on extreme violence, and fail to show empathy towards characters in pain, with boys more likely to experience severe pain than girls.
Empathy and perspective-taking are two essential social skills that enable us to form connections with others. A recent study reveals that both abilities are processed in the brain by a 'main network' specialized in empathy or changing perspective, which is activated in every social situation.
A recent study from UC Davis found that people's views on empathy are complicated and depend on who is receiving it. Empathizers are liked and respected only when the character they're empathizing with is also well-liked, but not when the character is disliked. This challenges the notion that empathy is always a virtue.
Researchers at Forefront Suicide Prevention at the University of Washington found that talking about suicide prevention and safe firearm storage at gun shows can lead to a significant increase in people locking up their firearms. In a community-based setting, engaging people in an empathetic conversation resulted in more people adoptin...
A study found that people who support immigration are ready to adopt empathy and perspective taking, while those opposed feel more competition. The research suggests that explicit instructions for empathy may not work on people of different political opinions.
A new study published in Psychological Science reveals that empathy is a key factor in preventing the spread of COVID-19. The research shows that individuals with higher empathy levels are more likely to keep their distance and wear face masks to protect vulnerable populations.
A recent study published in Aging and Mental Health suggests that wisdom is a strong protective factor against loneliness. The research, conducted in both San Diego and Cilento, Italy, found a significant inverse correlation between loneliness and wisdom across different age groups.
Researchers from Michigan State University found that people who want to improve their empathy tend to shift towards more liberal ideologies, prioritizing care and fairness. This study is the first to explore shifts in personalities and morals due to volitional change.
A new dementia education program has shown significant improvements in dementia knowledge and attitudes among primary school students. The intergenerational program brings together children and older adults, promoting empathy and understanding.
Researchers discovered that unfair negative reviews can evoke consumer empathy, leading to increased purchase and patronage intentions. Firms can capitalize on these reviews by responding in a more personable manner and highlighting employee involvement.
A new study from UChicago found that rats are less likely to help a trapped companion if they are with other rats that aren't helping. However, the presence of confederate rats made of an antianxiety drug can actually increase helping behavior in duos and trios.
A new mentoring model called Amplifying Voices created a supportive environment among underrepresented minority women in STEM, with participants agreeing that the virtual format was an effective way to discuss challenges and solutions. The study suggests that combining career-focused mentoring with empathetic psychosocial mentoring is ...
A study by Dr Jared Piazza of Lancaster University found that butchers and deli workers become desensitized to handling meat within two years, leading to reduced feelings of disgust and empathy. They justify eating meat on grounds such as necessity for health or natural digestion.
A study of 588 millennial and Gen X residents and fellows found no significant difference in burnout rates and empathy skills between the two groups. Empathy decreases over physician training, with Hispanic/Latino physicians showing higher scores than Caucasian physicians.