Empathy Is Not Just Kindness — It’s Presence
Empathy is not something we do occasionally. It’s a way of being with children.

It isn’t:
solving everything for them
shielding them from all discomfort
forcing them to act “normally”
giving in so they don’t cry

Empathy is:
being available
staying calm even when they can’t
listening without trying to control
validating their experience
understanding the world from their level
 

In a contested world, is there still space for empathy? What role can empathy play in improving politics and leadership – and what does it demand of those in politics, and us as citizens?

Join Claire Yorke whose new book 'Empathy in Politics and Leadership: The Key to Transforming our World' (Yale University Press, 2025) articulates not only the value of empathy, but also some the challenges it presents. Drawing on examples from around the world, she examines how it can present a challenge to the status quo, and offer a path to more effective politics, and better ways to engage in our communities.

Speakers: Dr Claire Yorke

Find out more: https://www.lse.ac.uk/school-of-public-policy/events/2025-26/can-empathy-really-transform-politics-and-leadership

"by Hebrew University of Jerusalem

We tend to think accuracy is the gold standard in emotional understanding," says Prof. Perry. "But our research suggests that a bit of bias, believing others feel more strongly than they do, can actually promote empathy and strengthen social bonds."

Ultimately, this study sheds light on one of the most fundamental aspects of social life, how we read one another's emotions. It suggests that human connection isn't built solely on accuracy, but on a delicate balance between perception, empathy, and a little bit of emotional imagination.

Despite the urgent need to improve social connection, practical evidence-based recommendations on how to do so during daily interactions are lacking. One key behavior theorized to facilitate social connection is high-quality listening, yet behavioral evidence is limited. Across two pre-registered studies, we tested whether observed high-quality listening behaviors during conversations between strangers are associated with behavioral and subjective markers of social connection, and whether listening behaviors account for the effectiveness of simple interventions aimed at increasing social connection.

Curiosity, connection and communication are vital components of empathetic teaching, says Bhawana Shrestha. She explains how to make students feel safe, seen and supported

A few years ago, a student came to my office after class, eyes filled with quiet frustration. They hadn’t missed a single lecture yet their assignments were slipping. As I began to discuss deadlines and rubrics, they interrupted softly: “I just can’t focus right now. My father’s in the hospital.” In that moment, I realised they didn’t need academic advice. They needed empathy. 

Empathy isn’t about solving our students’ problems. It’s about making them feel seen, safe and supported enough to try again. In higher education, where intellectual rigour often overshadows emotional connection, empathy remains one of the most powerful yet underused forms of student support. 

Empathy and reasoning aren’t rivals — they work together. Each one on its own predicts more generous, far-reaching acts of assistance. And when they operate side by side, people tend to help in the fairest ways — not favoring some over others — and in ways that touch the most lives.

We studied two groups that regularly help others at personal cost. One consisted of living organ donors who gave kidneys to strangers. The other included “effective altruists,” who use evidence and logic to direct substantial portions of their income or careers toward causes that save the most lives per dollar, such as fighting extreme poverty or preventable illness.

A Franco-Swiss study examined the determinants of patient-perceived physician empathy (PPPE) and found that three key factors shape how patients with chronic conditions perceive physician empathy: consultation length, frequency of visits, and type of diagnosis. 

Why Empathy Matters
In clinical practice, empathy refers to understanding and reflecting on a patient’s emotional state while maintaining constructive discussions about care. Physician empathy has been linked to better clinical outcomes, improved prescribing practices, stronger therapeutic alliances, patient satisfaction, adherence, and reduced healthcare costs. These benefits occur only if empathy is perceived by the patient, making perception central to its impact. 

Clinical empathy involves active listening centered on the patient, enabling them to feel understood while remaining constructive and positive, and discussing a care plan or actions together. This skill is now regarded as essential in daily practice. However, its benefits are only realized when empathy is perceived by the patient. 

by Imogen Bond

“You, like me, are here because you want to change the world... Books can change the world.” So opened the Raising Generation Empathy Conference, in a stirring, joyful keynote from author Patrice Lawrence to a sold-out room of experts and leaders from the worlds of books, literacy, education, child wellbeing and psychology.  

At the heart of the day was compelling new psychology research from Sussex University and impact partner EmpathyLab.

We have a literacy problem and a societal empathy deficit. What if we could solve both with one simple, accessible solution: reading with an empathy focus.

The Reading Feelings research project, backed by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), is the first longitudinal study on reading and empathy carried out in UK primary schools. Not only does this evidence powerfully prove that reading, in combination with immersion and discussion, develops empathy, but that crucially the benefit works in both directions: “Children who are better at understanding others’ emotions become better readers”.

Why Empathy Matters in Leadership
For organizations committed to developing the next generation of leaders, one truth is becoming impossible to ignore: the technical excellence that drives early-career success is not enough to carry executives into enterprise-level roles.

Increasingly, boards and executive teams want leaders who can build trust, inspire alignment, and elevate the performance of others. And among all the capacities required to do that, empathy stands out as one of the most strategically valuable — yet least developed. In The Six CEO Fundamentals, we outlined how personal readiness is just as critical as professional readiness. Empathy sits squarely at that intersection.

We've built a modern world that is flourishing with advanced technologies, but certainly not with values. We've built a world where almost everybody is obsessed with materialistic gains, often at the expense of humanity. In fact, Dr. Brianna J. Migliore (@dysregulationnation), a neuroscientist, believes that we, particularly Americans, have built a world that lacks empathy, and it all comes down to one underlying cause. In her video posted on December 1, Dr. J. Migliore explained why America is in an empathy crisis, and no, it's not because people are becoming more cruel.

Empathy — more than a soft skill

Far from being a “soft skill,” empathy is a well-researched concept in social psychology, grounded in decades of evidence. “Empathy is a very well-studied construct in my field of social psychology. It’s comprised of three components: feeling, cognitive and compassion,” said Brady. “When we see a colleague who’s sad, it can change our own mood. Empathy drives us to understand what they’re feeling — and compassion asks whether we’re motivated to help.” 

Empathy is a critical skill from day one. By understanding the other side’s interests and priorities, you build trust and uncover common ground — the foundation for innovative solutions. 

41: Invitation to be an Empathy Movement Summit Speaker

Are power and empathy incompatible? Dr. Claire Yorke joins the "Values & Interests" podcast to discuss her new book, "Empathy in Politics and Leadership." Yorke showcases real-life examples of leaders who embraced empathy to build more inclusive power structures while simultaneously avoiding the politically disastrous trap of blind idealism. The episode unpacks zero-sum versus more inclusive models of power, the distinction between cognitive and emotional empathy, and why moral leadership grounded in empathy is necessary but insufficient on its own for open societies to thrive.

Dr. Claire Yorke a senior lecturer at Deakin University, based in Canberra, and the author of "Empathy in Politics and Leadership" published by Yale University (2025).

For more, go to: https://www.carnegiecouncil.co/values-interests-yorke

This global conversation will focus on strategies to promote empathy in order to create engaged global citizens and more peaceful societies.

Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, is a key skill for adolescent development, driving social connectedness, promoting wellbeing, employability and educational attainment.

However, recent evidence, shows that the rates of empathic response among young people globally may be declining. Worldwide, ideological polarisation and social tensions are apparent with a marked increase in hate speech, violence, and intolerance alongside a growth in polarised societies and extremism.

Promoting empathy as a core skill and behaviour is increasingly put forward as a practical antidote to such problems, reducing the level of bullying, hatred and intolerance. This global conversation will focus on strategies to promote empathy in order to create engaged global citizens and more peaceful societies alongside improved well-being and mental health with young people more ready to forge paths through adulthood, in work, life attainment, and as active agents of social justice in their communities.

Active Listening by Larry Lawhon
By …::”I used to think that top global environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and climate change. I thought that with 30 years of good science, we could address these problems, but I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed, and apathy, and to deal with these, we need a spiritual and cultural transformation. And we scientists don’t know how to do that.” ~Gus Speth

Active Listening as a way of life.

Carl Rogers coined the term “active listening” in 1957

By focusing on and validating another person’s perspective, active listening helps build empathy.

Simultaneously, this focused, empathic process strengthens the Pre Frontal Cortex PFC’s role in reasoning and emotion regulation while also diminishing the amygdala’s “fight-or-flight” response, creating a calm awareness.

Active listening allows for a shared understanding of another person’s thoughts and feelings, which builds empathy and validates their experience.

By Christopher Kaufman

What the Research Says About Empathy at Work
Empathy is a key building block in creating psychologically safe workplaces—and when employees feel secure, employers reap the rewards. Consider this: Companies that create high psychological safety experience 76% more engagement, 50% more productivity, and 29% more life satisfaction amongst workers.

Workplaces that prioritize empathy also support innovation. Empathy allows people to share ideas, take initiative, and innovate freely, all without fear. It’s no secret that fear can impede creativity. According to one poll, 85% of executives agree that fear holds back innovation efforts “often or always” in their organizations.

The capacity to empathize plays a pivotal role in most forms of social interaction, contributing significantly to adaptive social behavior. Empathy entails experiencing others’ emotions, making the ability to regulate one’s emotional reactions to both positive and negative emotions of others crucial for effective empathy. Both empathy and emotion regulation are capacities that develop within the context of parenting, yet the dynamics of this process are not well understood. Moreover, while there has been considerable research on empathy towards others’ distress, there is less understanding of how people regulate their emotions in response to the positive emotions of others

Wayne Gretzky is famous for not following the puck, and instead skating to where it’s going to be. This winning strategy is empathy in action. Gretzky harnessed his empathy to figure out what players on his team, and on the opposing team, were thinking, feeling, and, most importantly, intending. 

Empathy is often described as “walking in someone else’s shoes.” It’s an innate capacity we have to see the world through someone else’s eyes and even to feel their pain. In Gretzky’s case, he skated in other players’ skates, a superpower that almost made it seem like he could predict the future.

Babies are born wired for empathy. It’s critical for a child’s survival, because they need to figure out what the adults around them are thinking, feeling, and intending and modify their conduct accordingly. If athletes don’t become professional athletes, empathy is still a superpower sought after in the workplace and in leadership positions. 

by Alison Jane Martingano

A new meta-analysis finds that most types of empathy protect against burnout.

Empathic concern and perspective taking emerge as consistent buffers against burnout.

Only a tendency to mirror the distress of others increased people's risk of burnout.

Spend a few minutes online and you’ll find no shortage of warnings about the dangers of being “too empathic.” Headlines like “Are You an Empath? 5 Ways to Avoid Emotional Burnout” and “Why Empaths Experience Burnout Like No Other” paint a picture of empathy as a psychological liability—something that leaves caring people overwhelmed, depleted, and at special risk of exhaustion. Some articles offer nuance buried in the fine print, but many do not.

Activating Social Empathy is a practical classroom resource designed to help teachers promote empathy skills and understanding among young people in Senior Cycle. The programme was developed by researchers at the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at University of Galway, along with colleagues in the University’s School of Education, working closely with a Youth Advisory Panel from Foróige. It is endorsed by the National Council for Curriculum Assessment.

Dr Charlotte Silke is a lead researcher with UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at University of Galway. She said that the fundamental aim of the programme is to "support young people in becoming more attuned to the feelings and perspectives of others" and to become "more confident in expressing empathy across a variety of real-world contexts".

Most heart-led leaders are celebrated for their empathy, and with good reason. Empathy builds trust and fosters connection, building blocks of high-performing teams. As a strength, empathy enables leaders to "connect to the emotions that underpin an experience," Brené Brown writes. But when leaders begin to feel those emotions as their own, that asset can quietly (and quickly) become a liability.

Over-empathy occurs when a leader absorbs their team members’ emotions, experiences and performance. They cease knowing where their job ends and their direct report’s job begins. Boundaries blur, leaders’ feedback softens or stops and their responsibilities multiply. Leaning too far into empathy, they often end up depleted, with a low-performing team.