Verywell / Laura Porter
Empathyinvolves the ability to understand what other people are experiencing.
It plays an essential role in building social connections and promotesprosocialbehaviors.
What can you do if you or a loved one lack empathy?
Read on for signs that may indicate a lack of empathy and tips for dealing with those who do.
Think of it as a continuum.
Some people are naturally more empathetic, while others are less so.
Other factors, including situational variables, can affect how much empathy people feel at any given time.
How Empathetic Are You?
While this can be problematic, there are things you’re free to do to become more empathetic.
Empathy is believed to be largely influenced by genetics and socialization.
Genetics play a part in the heritable aspects of personality and temperament.
So some people are born with tendencies that make them more empathetic to others.
However, experiences throughout life also play an important role.
There is also some research suggesting that men and women tend to experience and express empathy in different ways.
Women generally score higher on measures of empathy.
Effects
Lack of empathy can have a number of effects.
Some of these include:
Lack of empathy can also have consequences in healthcare configs.
How would you feel if you were in the same situation?
Are there aspects of the situation you havent considered?
Are there things that you’re able to do to help?
Listen
Make an intentional effort to listen to what other people are saying.
The goal is to listen to make it understand.
Practice Identifying Emotions
Spend time identifying and labeling your emotional responses.
Practice showing yourself empathy may help you become better attuned to the emotional experiences of other people.
Work on Your Communication Skills
Interpersonal and communication skillsplay an important role in empathy.
This suggests that working on interpersonal and communication skills may help improve empathy.
The effect, however, may require additional support or training to maintain empathetic behaviors over the long term.
This means allowing yourself to be open andvulnerable.
Doing this also allows other people to empathize with you and offer the support you need.
Use this understanding to do things that may help make things better.
It can create challenges in your relationship if you feel like your loved one doesnt empathize with your feelings.
How should you respond to a loved one who lacks empathy?
Empathy fuels kindness and human connection.
A Word From Verywell
A lack of empathy can create a wide variety of problems.
Find out which option is the best for you.
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A six-year longitudinal study of medical students in Japan.Medical Teacher.
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