Empathy is seen as a wonderful quality.
But there’s also a downside.
In an experiment, researchers in German neuroscience found that heightened empathy for another person can hinder a proper understanding of their situation.
The researchers showed subjects a number of emotionally charged videos, in which a person recounted, for example, their breakup.
Subjects who strongly resonated with the emotions of the person filmed (and therefore experienced a great deal of sadness) did not seem to be any better at appreciating the latter’s plans and thoughts.
Even more surprising: in highly emotional situations—when someone recounted, for example, the death of a loved one—the areas of the brain activated by empathy were so activated in these subjects that the activity of the areas involved in adopting another person’s perspective was inhibited.
This hinders the ability to truly help the other person.
Feeling empathy and rationally adopting another’s point of view thus emerge as two very distinct abilities,
the researchers conclude.