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The Science of Empathy
A sense of empathy helps us to understand each other. It allows us to take another person’s perspective and connect with what they’re thinking or feeling. When we act generously or assist people who are in trouble, empathy is often the motivator.
However, our empathy impulse is far from perfect. Here’s a look at what can happen when it misfires.
When empathy goes wrong
In some lines of work, misunderstanding a person’s emotional reaction can have devastating consequences. Unfortunately, a study published earlier this year suggests that this may happen frequently.
Researchers showed people video clips of a courtroom reality show. As people watched the videos, they had to rate the emotional reactions of the accused person in the courtroom along with the likelihood that they were guilty.
People interpreted angry reactions from a defendant as a sign of guilt. And this wasn’t just restricted to reality TV courtrooms. The same thing happened when people judged written stories about criminal accusations or everyday scenarios such as an employer accusing an employee of wrongdoing. Anger was perceived as an inauthentic attempt to…
