Empathy for the scholar in you

Emotional contagion

Our brains have a special system that allows us to catch emotions from other people. Like colds, emotions are contagious. They spread from person to person. Like viruses hurling through the air in sneeze droplets that enter our bodies without us knowing, emotions often fly under our radars from one person to another and enter our bodies without us noticing a thing. Yet we feel down or up because of it. Somehow we’ve caught a negative or positive mood from another person.

EMBODYING EMOTIONS

The built-in brain system for empathy is what allows us to catch emotions from other people. Some researchers believe that this system is in part made of mirror neurons, or brain cells that reflect what others are feeling and thinking. In effect, they enable us to simulate others’ experiences so that we can feel what they might be feeling. Researchers believe that this simulation system moves our bodies to mirror the emotional expressions of others (a slumped head, a smile, or grimace of pain) to embody what they are feeling. The more closely we embody, or simulate, the feelings of others, the more accurately we can estimate what they are indeed feeling.

NOTICE OTHERS TO FEEL COMPASSION

Picking up on the emotions of others by feeling it ourselves is a prerequisite for compassion. Without feeling others, we cannot feel compassion. Therefore, to be compassionate towards other people, we must first notice them. This rather simple task has proven to be most difficult in today’s fast paced world where getting ahead requires plugging in. Plugged into our digital companions, our cell phones, iPods, laptops, and so on, we struggle to notice anyone but ourselves. We have become quite self-absorbed. In fact, Daniel Batson’s research shows that when people focus on themselves at the expense of others, they are less likely to help those in need. Whereas when people redirect their focus from themselves to others, they act more compassionately. When we take the time to notice other people, we can notice how they feel and in turn we naturally feel compassion. I encourage you to take a moment everyday to notice the people around you. Feel them. If they are in need, you’ll be more likely to help them.

See Daniel Goleman make the link between empathy and compassion in his Ted Talk.

by Kevin Bickart

e: kbickart@goibelieve.com

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