Gender stereotypes presume that men are less emotionally intelligent than women; research has found that the truth is not so simple. Yet a new study suggests that when it comes to empathy, gender might matter.
Dutch neuroscientist Erno Jan Hermans and his colleagues set out to test whether testosterone directly inhibits a person’s ability to empathize with someone else—that is, whether it makes him less prone to take another person’s perspective and understand what she is thinking or feeling.
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“The Empathy Evolution” by Ronald Goldman, PhD, Provides a Groundbreaking Guide to Building a More Caring Society
MA, UNITED STATES, April 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The latest book by award-winning psychologist Ronald Goldman, PhD, “The Empathy Evolution: Preventing Violence, Racism, Political Corruption, and Mental Illness by Creating More Caring People,” is a landmark work in social science that offers a revolutionary approach to addressing some of society’s most persistent and troubling issues.
This 305-page book dives deep into the long-term effects of American childcare practices on personal and social problems. Drawing on decades of research, Dr. Goldman highlights how early traumas sustained from cultural practices create ripples throughout a lifetime, contributing to issues such as violence, racism, political corruption, and mental illness. By adopting strategies proven in other countries and providing what is natural for infants and young children, Dr. Goldman explains that Americans can create profound, positive change.
Bio: I am a dual PhD student in social psychology and cognitive science studying moral psychology, viewpoint diversity, and empathy. (LinkedIn) (Facebook) (Website)
Topic: Exercising Empathy and Strengthening the Empathy Movement
Abstract: The empathy movement is facing a growing challenge as scholars increasingly highlight its “dark sides,” from bias and burnout to what some call harmful or even toxic forms of empathy. This talk argues that the problem is not empathy itself, but how we understand and use it—proposing a new framework that treats empathy as a moral muscle that can be underdeveloped, overextended, or well-trained. By shifting the goal from “more empathy” to “better-calibrated empathy,” this model offers a path forward for building an empathy movement that is both effective and sustainable.
Bio: Susan Christy has designed and facilitated professional LISTENING trainings/programs for thousands of people in corporations, universities, medical schools, and hospitals all over the country. Of c ourse, teaching empathy is an important part of this. (Website) (LinkedIn)
Topic: My Experience Building an Empathy/Listening Movement
Abstract: Beginning in academia as a psychology professor, I taught empathy and communication to empower students to be more effective in their professional and personal lives. I later expanded this into a successful consulting practice, integrating empathy into listening, customer service, leadership, conflict resolution, and team-building programs. I will share my strategies for attracting paid and unpaid clients and getting lots of follow-up business.
Bio: Martin Golder is a Retired Mediator and Architect just finished a book Journey To Empathy about my personal discovery of the power of empathy. (Website) (LinkedIn) (Facebook)
Topic:How to convince the gangster class to join the Empathy Movement.
Abstract: Empathy is so often thought of as a touchy feely lefty kind of thing. Hence Musk’s famous quote. However to build an empathy movement it has to find a place amongst hard nosed business types and even gangsters and neer-do-wells. It is a hard skill that can be learned and put into practice by people in all walks to make their lives better. Even a completely fake version of what Carl Rogers espoused is surprisingly effective. And perhaps the most surprising thing is that when selfish people use Mechanical Empathy to get what they want there is a spin off effect that gradually rewires their brains and turns them into better people. The Empathy movement is for everyone.
Bio: Dr Stuart Nolan is an Empathy Trainer, Keynote Speaker, Stage Performer, and author of How To Train An Empath: Lessons From A Professional Mindreader, with a PhD in the Cultural History of Theatrical and Scientific Mindreading and over 35 years of experience unlocking empathy through science, performance, and play. (Website) (LinkedIn) (Facebook)
Topic: Building Cultures of Empathy Practice, Research, and Innovation in the UK.
Abstract: The talk will report on my work embedding empathy into leadership programmes at UK national organisations, including the BBC and the National Health Service (NHS). It will focus on the use of techniques from theatrical performance to train physical and collaborative empathy. It will also describe the use of a Threefold Model of Empathy that challenges prevailing ideas of what empathy is and suggests ways for the Empathy Movement to tackle the challenges of emerging technology and divisive politics.
Join me for this FREE mini-class on How to Communicate with Empathy. We'll explore what empathy is, how to cultivate it, and discuss its powerful impact on communication skills. This class also touches on the often-overlooked "dark side" of empathy, providing a comprehensive look into this crucial aspect of emotional intelligence.
Moderated by Jennifer Bourque, this event brings together two thought leaders who explore how political polarization erodes our capacity for empathy. As public debates become more conflictual, how do we remain present to one another’s suffering, even when we fundamentally disagree?
Rabbi Lisa Grushcow offers a spiritual perspective on empathy and suffering, while anthropologist Samuel Veissière examines the social forces driving deepening division. Together, they invite us to consider how we might listen, connect, and heal in fractured times.
One of my priorities as president is for the nation to Look to Michigan as a model of robust discourse on critical issues, grounded in empathy, reason, and humility.
I have always contended that for an institution to demonstrate its priorities, they must be reflected in its budget. That is why we are investing $50 million, as a starting point, to establish the Center for American Dialogue and strengthen our commitment to diversity of thought and principled discussion.
The Center represents a lasting commitment to broadening our campus culture by providing a forum that welcomes all perspectives and fosters respectful engagement.
by Mary Bates Rats are social animals, exquisitely attuned to the emotions of the rats around them. In a new study published in PLoS Biology, researchers from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience show that rats may use this sense of empathy as a way to gauge danger.
Most studies of empathy conceive of it as a one-way phenomenon in which an observer “catches” the emotions of another. But in real life, it’s more of an interactive process in which information flows in two directions.
by Peter Sear A lack of empathy isn't just a choice; it's a neurological byproduct of power.
A leader who cannot fully "read" the opposition cannot predict their next move.
Strategic empathy allows a leader to sense psychological friction.
We often mistake dominance for leadership. We look at individuals who command rooms and impose their will as being the "best" at what they do. As a psychologist working within elite performance, I have observed a recurring phenomenon: Power can act as a neurological anaesthetic. It deadens the very empathic faculties that are essential for sustainable success.
On May 2nd, we're uniting America with empathy.Thank you for signing up to participate in our Community Empathy Project with the Roslindale Food Collective.
On Saturday, participants will take part in a hands-on session where we will learn about food insecurity in our community and work together to assemble fresh produce bags for local families. This is an active, collaborative experience focused on service, dignity, and community care.
In this episode of the Impostor Syndrome Files, we look at self-empathy as a practical skill you can use in everyday life. My guest, Melissa Robinson-Winemiller, is a former professional musician and university professor who later founded EQ via Empathy where she works today. Melissa shares how a tough career pivot pushed her to study empathy and write the book, The Empathic Leader.
Here we talk about how to build your self-empathy muscles in easy moments first so that you have the skills available to you when the stakes rise. We also explore why high achievers take the blame when things go wrong yet wave away credit when things go well, how empathy and judgment cannot coexist, and a simple practice to interrupt reactivity so you can lead with more clarity at work and at home.
Allie sits down with New York Times columnist David French for a candid discussion on faith, culture, and politics. They debate over the definition of “toxic empathy” and how it is used to advance progressive causes on issues like gender, sexuality, and social justice.
Allie argues that compassion must be grounded in biblical truth rather than emotional manipulation. French says that the real problem is selective or incomplete empathy and that he’s seen an increase in “Christian cruelty.” The conversation explores where Christians should draw lines between mercy, justice, and cultural engagement in an increasingly polarized America. Nothing is off the table, including hot-button topics like Trump, Luigi Mangione, January 6, abortion, and pronouns. Allie and David find some fascinating points of agreement despite public disagreements online.
The video titled "Empathy Summit: Debrief: How Might We Build the Empathy Movement?" is a collaborative reflection session involving over a dozen participants who share their experiences from a recent Empathy Summit. The group discusses the technical aspects of the practice, its emotional impact, and strategic ideas for scaling empathy into a global movement.
Summary
The debrief highlights a tension between the "rigid" structure of reflective listening and the desire for deeper, "heart-centered" connection. While some participants expressed concern that strictly repeating words can feel intellectual rather than emotional, others defended the structure as a necessary starting point for beginners, children, and non-native speakers. Strategic ideas for building the movement included renaming "empathy" to "listening" to avoid negative stigmas, developing a formal training curriculum, and high-visibility public actions like "Occupy Empathy" to encourage dialogue between opposing political groups.
Bio: Bill Filler is retired special education teacher who has worked with at-risk children of all ages for over 30 years. He has been involved in the Empathy Circle since 2017. He co-created the Empathy Circle Facilitator training with Lou Zweier and Edwin Rutsch, and has been holding trainings since March 2020. He is a member of the Empathy Center Board of Directors. (LinkedIn) (Facebook)
Topic: Bringing the Empathy Movement Message to the California State Democratic Convention
Abstract: We brought the message of the Empathy Movement to the California State Democratic Convention. When we got to the convention in San Francisco we found that people were open to a new way of relating to each other, and when they were listened to, were happy they tried the Empathy Circle process. We listened to individuals, brought our message to politicians, and got our message out during a short interview on KPIX TV, a local San Francisco TV station.
Bio: Edwin Rutsch is Founding Director of The Empathy Center, and a leading organizer in the global Empathy Movement. He is a creator and long-time advocate of the Empathy Circle practice—a simple yet powerful tool for building understanding and bridging divides. (LinkedIn) (Facebook) (Website)
Topic: An Invitation to Co-Create Our Shared Empathy Movement Training Curriculum
Abstract: If we want to build a thriving Empathy Movement, we need an effective publicly available Empathy Movement Training Curriculum. Most empathy trainings today are private programs or proprietary courses. While many excellent trainings exist, there is no shared curriculum that is openly available for communities, educators, and organizers around the world. This presentation proposes creating a public-domain Empathy Movement Training Curriculum that integrates the best existing approaches and makes them widely accessible. Participants are invited to join a collaborative effort to design, develop, and expand this curriculum for the global empathy movement.
Bio: Paramita Roy is an educator, filmmaker, and the founder of Global Empathy Conference and Virtual School Australia (VSA). VSA is internationally recognised for teaching empathy through action. Paramita integrates performing arts, storytelling, filmmaking, and reflective writing into education to help young people engage with real-world social issues. She is currently organising the 8th Global Empathy Conference. (Website) (LinkedIn) (Facebook)
Topic: From Understanding to Action: Why the Empathy Movement Must Prioritise Action-Oriented Pedagogies
Abstract: Empathy is widely valued in education, yet it is often taught as a concept to be understood rather than a practice to be enacted. This presentation argues that the Empathy Movement must shift from awareness to action. Drawing on contemporary research and a case study from Virtual School Australia, it demonstrates how action-oriented pedagogies—particularly arts-based and creative practices enable students to practice empathy through lived experience.
In this Summit, empathy activists talk about how we can build the Empathy Movement to make mutual empathy a primary cultural value.
Join this Summit if you are ready to roll up your sleeves and help build the Movement. The Empathy Movement is a transformative force in addressing the growing fragmentation and polarization in modern societies. At its core, the movement seeks to reorient how individuals and groups relate to one another, shifting from transactional, adversarial and authoritarian interactions to ones rooted in mutual listening, deep dialogue, understanding, constructive collaboration and seeing our shared humanity.
For empathy to become a primary cultural value, it needs sustained, coordinated effort across multiple domains. A movement brings all groups together across the social and political spectrum who support this vision. It also provides the organizational structure needed for long-term cultural transformation rather than short-lived initiatives.
Overview Introduction Defining Strategic Empathy The ROI of Understanding: Tangible Benefits for Teams Cultivating Empathy: Practical Steps for Leaders and Teams Empathy as a Competitive Edge
Overview This leadership article makes the case for empathy as a measurable business strategy rather than a soft skill. Covering psychological safety, team performance, employee retention, and practical implementation steps, it is relevant to managers, HR professionals, and organisational leaders seeking sustainable competitive advantage.
On the other hand, technology is a powerful tool, but it must not take away our ability to look and communicate. We understand that Artificial Intelligence is not a threat to humanism, but an ally. We aim to train doctors who use AI to automate mechanical and diagnostic tasks, allowing them to recover time for empathy, active listening and a close, human approach. We have been implementing specific programmes to train verbal and non-verbal communication, empathy, end-of-life support and a comprehensive understanding of patients.
The exhibition Empathy at Vantaa Art Museum Artsi (15 April–18 October 2026) opens perspectives on empathy—as an emotion and an experiential skill that shapes how we encounter other people, communities, and the surrounding nature. The exhibition highlights the personal, cultural, and ecological dimensions of empathy and invites us to reflect on what empathy means right now, in our present time.
Empathy as emotion, skill, and choice
Empathy is not merely a spontaneous emotional reaction, but the ability to perceive another person’s experience and to make choices in relation to it. The exhibition examines how facial expressions, gestures, tones of voice, and the nuances of silence communicate emotions—and how emotional intelligence helps us read these signals. Empathy is also a decision: the choice to listen, to make space, and to affirm the value of another. While empathy enables understanding, compassion goes further, giving rise to the desire to act.
When people traditionally think of empathy, they often think of “walking a mile in the other person’s shoes.” This kind of empathy focuses on how emotion is shared and understood between people. Yes, this can help; it humanizes people and turns someone who may be viewed as “the enemy” into a fellow person. However, “affective empathy,” as this sort of empathy is often called, does not focus on increasing a person’s knowledge base.
Instead, “cognitive empathy,” or understanding how a person thinks and gathers information, is incredibly important to broadening one’s own scope. Just as one blind man’s conclusions in the story are limited to the single area he managed to feel, one’s own experiences only go so far, as they are developed from a limited background. No matter how extensive a person’s affective empathy can span, it is still limited by the stories that the specific person has accumulated. It would be difficult to relate to a person who has a completely different background.
This article explores the transformative power of cognitive empathy as an essential skill for navigating modern challenges, highlighting its role in fostering understanding, solving problems, and bridging divides in both personal and professional contexts.
Understanding Perspectives: Cognitive empathy enables individuals to step outside their own worldview and see situations through others’ eyes, fostering connection and clarity.
Problem-Solving Power: Unlike emotional empathy, cognitive empathy focuses on understanding motivations and circumstances, empowering individuals to resolve conflicts and drive action.
Bridging Divides: Its application spans diverse contexts, from improving workplace collaboration to enhancing relationships by addressing core perspectives.
A Survival Tool: In an increasingly polarized world, cognitive empathy acts as a critical tool for cutting through noise, fostering understanding, and creating meaningful connections.
In today’s polarized political landscape, the ability to understand and empathize with those across the aisle has reached concerning lows. New research published in Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin reveals an asymmetry in this empathy deficit: liberals consistently show less empathy toward their conservative peers than vice versa.
This lack of both empathy and fair-mindedness is not foreign to far-right extremists–in fact, it has become a standard to which only the most powerful figures have begun holding themselves to. In an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience which aired in February of 2025, Elon Musk stated “the fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy.” Is this notion, one that deems empathy self-destructive and threatening amongst conservative circles, a defense mechanism? Or is this aversion to emotionally connecting with and understanding others an attempt to inflict destruction without consequence?
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