A recent paper published by the Association for Psychological Science tells us that empathy doesn't cross the political divide. In other words, we have more empathy with people who share our views than those who don't.
Crikey!
I don't know about you, but when I read stuff like this I wonder if I chose the right career. Do they have to study anything before being set loose - such as a dictionary? Because surely their conclusion has been common knowledge throughout recorded history. I bet the Neanderthals knew all about it.
I have absolutely no empathy with people like this.
6 comments:
Ah, but you probably have to study for several years in order to correctly understand the true definition of "empathy"! These things are always trickier than we semi-educated lay persons like to think!
Next week, a group of biologists will tell us that their studies reveal that cats are definitely more feline than dogs...
Sam - I like the comparative felinity angle. Must be worth a post - if not a research grant.
Next they will discover that people have more empathy for their own ethnic group, nationality, sex, age, occupation, etc. Empathy research seems to be a big fad.
Roger - I suppose it's no surprise that it's a fad. Easy to do with no real risk of being proved wrong.
I once read that people who eat food have a greater chance of survival than people who don't. Don't know where I got that from.
Might have been my mum when I was four.
James - my mum didn't need to tell me because I was always fond of my grub.
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