Dear Friends, I'm sending this newsletter to my family, friends, social media, and communitycontacts that I've made over the years. This is a new email newsletter that I and the Empathy Center will be sending out periodically. It will be a great way to keep inspired and informed about the latest developments in the empathy movement.
I do hope you will stay in touch and join us in building a global empathy movement as a gateway to greater well-being, care, community, compassion, creativity, peace, and love.
A big focus in our work will be nurturing and supporting empathy in our families.
Empathy is a crucial skill for public servants because they need to contextually understand who they are designing policies for, a researcher tells GN.
“Empathy can be used in decision making by understanding exactly how the program or policy will actually affect the person,” says Assel Mussagulova, from the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Sydney.
Applying empathy to policymaking can be achieved by collecting more data, engaging with the data “and empathetically trying to understand how the policy will affect different cohorts based on their individual circumstances”, says Mussagulova.
About the Activating Empathy Program Activating Empathy consists of twelve thematic lessons that take approximately twelve classroom sessions to complete. Each 50 minute session contains a variety of group activities designed to activate and develop empathy, cultivate prosocial behavior, and recognize the link between empathy and civic behavior. In this curriculum, students will learn how to activate empathy, practice empathy skills, and recognize the importance of empathy to interpersonal relationships and to the wider global community. Students will be asked to reflect on their learning outside of these core sessions using their Learning Journals.
On completion of Activating Empathy, students will be able to:
Define empathy Explain the importance of empathy in improving interpersonal relationships Explain how empathy motivates civic behavior, social action and active citizenship Practice core empathy skills such as empathetic listening, perspective-taking and responding with empathy Identify and set clear empathy goals relevant to their own lives Reflect on their learning
AI journaling app Rosebud attempted to quantify chatbots’ empathy by testing 25 popular models across various mental health-related scenarios, scoring them based on how well they could recognize a crisis, prevent harm, and intervene.
Psychology, linguistics, neuroscience and philosophy have led a recent shift in autism research. Instead of autistic communication being studied at the individual level, interactions are examined at the dyadic level within a ‘double empathy’ framework,, which refers to the ‘disjuncture in reciprocity between two differently disposed social actors who hold different norms and expectations of each other,’ such as autistic and non-autistic people.
Reference Milton, Heasman, Sheppard and Volkmar3 By comparing how autistic and non-autistic people interact with people of the same (i.e. autistic pairs, non-autistic pairs) and different (i.e. one autistic person, one non-autistic person) diagnostic statuses, we can learn more about how the diagnostic status of an interaction partner shapes the way that people communicate.
Research shows two key findings. First, communication difficulties are not exclusive to autistic people; non-autistic individuals also struggle to understand autistic social behaviours, leading to a ‘double’ problem in mixed-neurotype interactions.
Why it's important: As machines and models take on more routine tasks, the human edge lies in collaboration, adaptability and compassion. Entrepreneurial leadership (Babson's specialty) helps leaders hone their head and heart alike.
"Active listening and empathy are essential for entrepreneurial leaders to identify starting points for creating viable business opportunities," Babson On-Demand™ co-director Philip Kim, who is also the school's Lewis Family Distinguished Professor in Social Innovation, said.
Many people assume empathy is too soft, too subjective, or too deeply personal to quantify. In our own survey, nearly half of the respondents agreed that “it is impossible to measure empathy.” This sentiment echoes a familiar cultural belief: that empathy is like love, beautiful precisely because it resists dissection. As one commentator put it, attempts to measure empathy require “stripping it of softness, feelings, and any sense that it’s a touchy-feely-can’t-exactly-measure-it” quality. And if you strip that away, she argued, “it’s no longer empathy.”
il montre que l’empathie peut se mesurer, ce n’est pas juste un “ressenti”. Il explique ça avec des exemples clairs et scientifiques. Parfait pour comprendre le sujet sans idées floues.
Empathy enables innovation, inclusion and the next-generation workforce Innovation flourishes when diverse perspectives are valued and a culture of psychological safety is present. Most organizations today are composed of culturally diverse teams, each with distinct communication styles and perspectives on the world. Leaders who adapt their approach to meet the needs of different people open doors to authentic dialogue and deeper understanding.
Empathizing with another is perhaps the most human emotion of all and a long shot from the cold calculations of vectorized tokens that drive the inner workings of contemporary LLMs. This chapter looks beyond the questions of what to make of AI-generated “empathy” and instead asks whether AI can be used to develop our capacities for genuine human empathy.
Empathy is not a static trait, instead capable of growth and development, and this paper explores whether AI can and, more importantly, should be used to increase one’s empathy. Nothing in principle stands in the way of AI improving our empathy, but the possibility raises unanswered questions about whether such an approach would be effective or would backfire in unexpected ways, such as encouraging the commodification of empathy as a technological tool that can make companies money, rather than a fundamental part of the human experience.
Empathy Isn’t the Problem - Enmeshment Is What the author called “empathy” is something very different, something psychologist Murray Bowen described decades ago as enmeshment.
Enmeshment is the emotional fusion that happens when two people lose sight of where one person’s emotional life ends and the other’s begins. It’s not connection—it’s collapse. The self collapses into the other. Boundaries disappear. The relationship starts operating from a rigid, unhealthy script: one person must feel a certain way, act a certain way, uphold a certain emotional role—for the sake of the other.
In a world that feels sharper and more self-centered than ever, empathy seems to be disappearing, especially online. Political turbulence, social media culture, and a growing focus on self-preservation have created an environment where kindness is scarce, and disagreement feels like a battle. I explore how this leads to nonproductive arguing, and why practicing empathy, even in small ways, is more important than ever.
I can’t be the only one who’s noticed that the world feels a little meaner now than it did four or five years ago. Scrolling through the comment section of any news article feels like entering a battlefield of opposing opinions and people trying to one-up each other with the harshest take — a place where empathy rarely survives. Anyone who’s as chronically online as me has probably noticed how contrasting this feels compared to the online climate of 2020, when there seemed to be more openness and tolerance. Now, everyone feels more narcissistic, and it makes me wonder: What happened to empathy? Especially among young people?
Empathy and Ethics as the Foundation of Responsible Citizenship Empathy and ethics are fundamental qualities that shape responsible citizenship in any society. Empathy allows individuals to understand and share the feelings of others, fostering compassion and cooperation. Ethics provides a moral framework that guides behavior, ensuring actions are just and respectful towards others.
When citizens practice empathy, they become more aware of the challenges and needs of their community members. This awareness encourages supportive actions and promotes social harmony. Ethics complements empathy by establishing principles such as honesty, fairness, and respect, which are essential for maintaining trust and order in society.
A new empathy education programme developed at University of Galway is to be rolled out for Transition Year (TY) students in secondary schools nationwide. ‘Activating Social Empathy’ is a classroom resource designed for helping teachers to promote empathy skills and understanding amongst students.
The programme was developed by researchers at the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at University of Galway alongside colleagues in the University’s School of Education, working closely with a Youth Advisory Panel from Foróige.
His point reflects a deeper clinical truth: empathy only functions when both parties are psychologically invested in resolution.
This essay examines, through an academic lens, why empathy collapses in intimate relationships, with specific attention to gendered patterns in emotional communication, avoidant attachment dynamics, and the role of reciprocity.
I. Tactical Empathy: A Theoretical Overview Tactical empathy is defined in negotiation literature as the process of accurately understanding and articulating the emotions, needs, and perspectives of another person to reduce defensiveness and facilitate cooperation (Voss & Raz, 2016).
A first-of-its-kind empathy education programme from the University of Galway is being rolled out to Transition Year students nationwide, aimed at boosting compassion and emotional skills in schools across the country.
We discussed this with Brendan Kelly, Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin.
But the attack on empathy has been largely through the social weapon of radical individualism. In the modern day, among other things, it is through the vehicle of what’s now called Christian nationalism, a heretical form of false religion which situates “salvation” in the vertical relationship between the individual person and his or her “savior.” That is by contrast to the mainstream Judeo-Christian tradition that places empathy, empathy toward the less fortunate and for justice and peace, at the center of faith and purpose.
In this study we critically examine the phenomenological foundations of intuitive diagnosis in Psychiatry by integrating Max Scheler's concept of emotional contagion with Edith Stein's three-stage model of empathy. We argue that what Scheler calls emotional contagion offers a useful pre-reflective, bodily-affective resonance that precedes and facilitates deeper empathic understanding of the subject's experience. Then, we suggest that Stein's analysis of empathy, which is based on a three-step process – i.e., the emergence of the other's experience, its imaginative explication, and the final comprehensive objectification – may account for the role of imaginative empathic immersion in diagnostic assessment.
Empathy has become a business competency, not a soft nice-to-have. With hybrid teams, rapid AI adoption, and a workforce increasingly vocal about identity and inclusion, companies are being pushed to rethink what effective leadership looks like right now. Research and workplace trend reports consistently show that employees who feel seen and supported are more engaged and more likely to stay—raising the stakes for leaders who are hiring, managing, and shaping culture in real time.
What does empathetic marketing really look like in practice—not just as a buzzword, but as a way of working and leading?
Cillian Murphy is a patron of the Unesco Child and Family Research Centre at University of Galway and a supporter of the empathy education initiatives.
The ‘Activating Social Empathy’ schools programme is supported by the Irish American Partnership and Lifes2good Foundation, and partners of the Unesco Child and Family Research Centre, Foróige and Penn State.
Dr Charlotte Silke, lead researcher with Unesco Child and Family Research Centre, said: “The core aim is to support young people in becoming more attuned to the feelings and perspectives of others, and more confident in expressing empathy across a variety of real-world contexts.”
A closer look at the research on empathy and gender reveals a more nuanced story shaped by socialization and stereotypes rather than biology.
Women report that they are more empathic on questionnaires.
Physiological and behavioral indicators show minimal or no gender differences in empathy.
Women’s modest advantage in emotion recognition reflects socialization and stereotype cues more than biology.
Stereotypes create unfair expectations for women and discourage men from adopting caring roles.
If you ask people who’s more empathic, men or women, you’ll probably hear a confident answer. Cultural narratives, from everyday conversation to the statements of public figures like the Dalai Lama, often portray empathy as something women naturally possess in greater supply.
At a time when social trust feels increasingly fragile, leadership grounded in integrity, empathy, and consistency is critical. This webinar features leaders who have successfully built trust by prioritizing “learning from listening” and centering empathetic communication within their communities.
Join us for a conversation with leaders who are putting trust into practice. We’ll explore how they’ve built strong, credible reputations; how they foster trust at both individual and community levels; what larger institutions can learn from these grassroots strategies; and how locally grounded approaches can be adapted to strengthen trust at scale.
Moderator: Pearce Godwin, Founder, Listen First Project & Listen First Coalition; Senior Director, Urban Rural Action
Enter Empathetic AI Policy Empathetic AI Policy—the emerging discipline that insists human impact must be designed, measured, and governed as rigorously as performance—exists precisely because of these failures. It’s not about making machines emotional, but about making human decision-makers accountable. It means recognizing that every model has moral weight, every dataset represents real lives, and every automated decision carries consequences that ripple through families, institutions, and society. In short, empathy is not a soft constraint—it’s the structure that keeps AI aligned with humanity.
The irony of modern AI is that it often reflects the very flaws it was meant to transcend: bias, carelessness, and moral blindness. The industry’s most infamous collapses—from racist chatbots to wrongful prosecutions and mass surveillance—share a single root cause: empathy was ignored, underestimated, or engineered out of the process. These are not merely “bugs in the system.” They are symptoms of a worldview that treats technology as neutral, when in reality, it always encodes human priorities.
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