Empathy

All About Empathy

Empathy is the experience of understanding another person's condition from their perspective. You place yourself in their shoes and feel what they are feeling. Empathy is known to increase prosocial (helping) behaviors. While American culture might be socializing people into becoming more individualistic rather than empathic, research has uncovered the existence of "mirror neurons," which react to emotions expressed by others and then reproduce them.

Musical Preferences and the Brain

By David M. Greenberg Ph.D. on December 21, 2017 in The Power of Music

Can musical preferences be explained by differences in the brain? Neurobiological evidence for musical preferences is in its infancy, but we've developed some hypotheses.

How to Support Grieving People During the Holidays

By Megan Devine on December 21, 2017 in It's OK That You're Not OK

An infographic could help you figure out how to best support grieving friends and family during the holiday season.

What Makes a Hero? And What Makes a Psychopath?

By Scott A. McGreal MSc. on December 20, 2017 in Unique—Like Everybody Else

Are heroes and psychopaths cut from the same cloth? It depends on how important fearlessness is for understanding psychopathy.

3 Narcissistic Traits in Kylo Ren

By Mariana Plata on December 19, 2017 in The Gen Y Psy

What's the difference between Ben Solo and Kylo Ren? Exploring the narcissistic side of the leader of the First Order.

10 Must-Know Tips for Making Better Conversations

By Susan Krauss Whitbourne Ph.D. on December 19, 2017 in Fulfillment at Any Age

You may think that you’re out of things to say with the people you know very well, or those you don’t. These 10 research-based tips will help you overcome those awkward pauses.

In Most Sexual Assaults, “Defense Circuitry” Runs the Show

By Jim Hopper, Ph.D. on December 19, 2017 in Sexual Assault and the Brain

We need to know this circuitry and its impacts, even if it doesn’t sound as cool as “amygdala.”

How to Raise "Good" Children

By John D. Rich, Jr., Ph.D. on December 19, 2017 in Parenting With Purpose

How do we help our children become good people? A few behaviors can teach them the way.

A Gameplan for Combating Oppression

By Benjamin Mitchell-Yellin, Ph.D. on December 18, 2017 in Life, Death, and the Self

How work on race can inform efforts to combat class divisions.

Using Fiction to Narrate a Transition

By Randi Hutter Epstein M.D. on December 18, 2017 in Birth, Babies, and Beyond

How a novelist and mother used storytelling to teach about transgender.

Photograph by abeer_almshrafi. Copyright free. Pixabay.com

Five Things an Unloving Mother Never Does

By Peg Streep on December 18, 2017 in Tech Support

Healing from childhood can be elusive unless we focus on both what happened in the home and what didn't.

Study Shows Father's Rejection Triggers Anxiety in Teens

By Katie Hurley, LCSW on December 18, 2017 in Worry-Free Kids

Is your teen struggling with making friends? Work on building your parent-child bond.

Dana Tentis, StockSnap IO, Creative Commons CC0

What Is Psychoanalysis?

By Grant Hilary Brenner M.D. on December 17, 2017 in ExperiMentations

A lot of people don't know what psychoanalysis is. This post will clear up that confusion.

Compassionate Evidence-Based Treatment

By Dean McKay Ph.D. on December 16, 2017 in Your Fears and Anxieties

Empathy is emphasized in therapy, but compassion is often ignored. Providing evidence-based therapy allows therapists to be both empathic and compassionate.

Better Recognizing Vocal Emotions Can Improve Relationships

By Chris Gilbert, M.D., Ph.D. on December 15, 2017 in Heal the Mind to Heal the Body

A sound way to learn more about your partner and yourself.

Professional Handling of Title IX Sexual Misconduct

By Bernard J. Luskin, Ed.D., LMFT on December 14, 2017 in The Media Psychology Effect

Sex-based harassment and discrimination makes trained Title IX GateKeepers essential. Here’s why.

Doing for the Greater Good: What's Needed from Professors

By Suniya Luthar, Ph.D. on December 12, 2017 in Privileged But Pressured

What is generally rewarded in academia is the enhancement of one's status and prestige. Being a good citizen is rarely rewarded. In fact, it can work against promotion and tenure.

Can Exponential Tech Enhance Early Childhood Education?

By Tim Leberecht on December 12, 2017 in The Romance of Work

When it comes to AR, Blockchain, or AI, most of us feel like pre-schoolers. So I learned a lot at a recent weekend that brought together education experts with tech leaders.

When Students Talk About Wealth and Class

By Sam Osherson Ph.D. on December 12, 2017 in Listen Up!

Are our kids better at talking about wealth and class than we are?

Two Cheers for Empathy

By Robert J King Ph.D. on December 12, 2017 in Hive Mind

Paul Bloom has recently (and one suspects slightly provocatively) called for a rejection of empathy. But he has left us little grounds for his alternative "rational compassion."

Tis the Season to Be

By Lori Russell-Chapin Ph.D. on December 12, 2017 in Brain Waves

Tis the season to be jolly. Is the act of forgiveness the key?

Understanding Your Child's Behaviors in Context

By Joel L. Young M.D. on December 11, 2017 in When Your Adult Child Breaks Your Heart

When it comes to children, how can you tell the difference between a discipline problem and a mental health diagnosis?

The Movie "Wonder" Demonstrates the Power of Kindness

By Angela Grippo Ph.D. on December 11, 2017 in The Wide Wide World of Psychology

Here are five tips to teach your children to accept those who are different.

The Many Mini Ways to Show You Care

By Susan Krauss Whitbourne Ph.D. on December 09, 2017 in Fulfillment at Any Age

It doesn't take a grand gesture to show someone that you care. With a "micro" act of kindness, according to new research, the payoff can be surprisingly high for both of you.

How to Avoid War with North Korea

By Daniel L Shapiro Ph.D. on December 08, 2017 in Transforming Conflict

Is war with North Korea inevitable? Psychology offers crucial insights.

Celeste Headlee/jeff roffman, used with permission

Celeste Headlee on Relearning to Listen

By Isaac Lidsky on December 08, 2017 in Mastering Your Reality

No, you don’t know how I feel, but I’m trying to tell you.

The World Responds to Our Emotions: Evidence from Physics

By Bernard D. Beitman M.D. on December 07, 2017 in Connecting with Coincidence

Albertus Maximus: the world responds to our emotions.

How to Be a Secure Base of Attachment for the Holidays

By Hal Shorey Ph.D. on December 06, 2017 in The Freedom to Change

Does the thought of the family holiday gathering stress you out? Attachment theory can teach you to be a "secure base," lower everyone's anxiety, and enjoy your family and friends.

Why Empathy Is the Golden Rule of Couples Communication

By Leon F Seltzer Ph.D. on December 06, 2017 in Evolution of the Self

It's only logical that to get your partner to hear you the way you want, you first need to emotionally connect with them. Yet that’s almost never what happens.