A TED Talk lecturer gives an emotional, riveting, and eventually viral lecture on radical empathy. He challenges his audience to imagine how Americans would feel if, in the past, China had taken control of American coal, China had prospered, and Americans had fallen into poverty except for the richest citizens. He then brought the argument to the present—2011—and the United States is prosperous, but the Iraqi people are caught in a seemingly endless series of conflicts with the United States while also dealing with internal forces.

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. In healthcare, it helps build trust and makes patients feel heard and cared for. Research shows that empathy leads to better patient satisfaction, improved health results, and patients following treatment plans more closely.

The Importance of Empathy
Healthcare is not just about finding and treating physical problems. Patients also bring their feelings, fears, beliefs, and life situations into each visit. Empathy helps doctors and therapists notice these things, giving care that fits the patient better. For example, in rehabilitation therapy, the relationship between patient and therapist depends on trust, communication, and motivation. This relationship is important to help patients get better. AI can help therapists by analyzing data or setting up appointments but cannot replace the emotional support that encourages patients to keep going with therapy.

by Hannah Read

In a time of deepening political polarization, the cooperative, constructive interactions—essential for a healthy democracy—are increasingly hard to come by. One promising strategy for countering polarization involves fostering empathy across partisan divides. Yet empathizing with ideological opponents is cognitively and emotionally demanding, requiring us to suppress our own negative responses in order to engage with perspectives we may find troubling or even offensive.

I therefore argue that empathy in divided societies such as ours is ethically complex and without proper structural support, the burden of empathy can too easily fall on members of marginalized groups—what I call a kind of “cognitive-emotional injustice”. This asymmetry risks reinforcing existing inequalities rather than bridging them. I conclude by advocating for the intentional creation of social environments that cultivate and fairly distribute opportunities for empathic engagement across lines of difference—whether partisan, racial, gendered, or socio-economic.

Two New York Times articles claim empathy has gone too far—thanks to books like Toxic Empathy and The Sin of Empathy. But the real issue isn’t too much empathy—it’s selective, self-serving empathy dressed up as moral clarity. I break down what’s actually happening, why Paul Bloom’s Against Empathy is being misused, and how to stay grounded, discerning, and human in your own empathic practice.

Lately, empathy has gone from being a desirable trait to a politicized concept. We discuss what empathy means and the role it plays in interpersonal relationships—as well as in today's society. Can someone gain or lose the ability to be empathetic? Is feeling empathy a matter of choice?

Panelist:
Daryl Cameron, associate professor of psychology and director of the Consortium on Moral Decision-Making, Penn State University

• Narcissism is ego-based, not a neurotype, and lacks consistent neurological markers
• Autism involves empathy differences, not a lack of empathy or intent to harm.
• Mislabeling narcissism as neurodivergence weakens efforts to name and prevent relational abuse.
  Psychopathy shows clear brain differences; narcissism does not meet neurotype criteria.

The days when AI was simply about automation are fading quickly. In 2025, the attention is on Human-Centric AI - intelligent systems created with empathy to promote user experience and "Ease of Living" in everyday life. Language generation AI, or Conversational GenAI, to Secure GenAI and Sovereign AI: AI evolution focuses more on trust, personalisation, and societal impact.

Why Human-Centric AI Is Important
The Zendesk CX Trends Report suggests that companies with human-like AI Agents, AI Assistants, and Virtual Assistants (think ChatBots, VoiceBots, and VideoBots) witnessed 33% more customer acquisitions and 22% higher customer retention rates. Empathetic AI is no longer an extravagance - it is a necessity.

To the Editor:

Re “‘Empathy’ Becomes Debatable,” by Jennifer Szalai (Critic’s Notebook, July 24):

At a time when core values are under attack, empathy is increasingly misunderstood and dismissed as a soft or misguided emotional reaction. But empathy is not weakness. It is a vital human capacity that enables us to perceive suffering and then respond with compassion and reason.

Neuroscience shows that empathy engages both emotional and cognitive parts of the brain. The emotional side helps us resonate with others; it’s why we instinctively flinch when we see others suffering. But empathy does not stop there. The cognitive dimension allows us to step back and consider context. When we see children in pain, we instantly feel their distress; that’s emotional empathy.

The cognitive dimension allows us to step back and consider context. If we learn that a child was hurt while punching another child, the emotional response may recede — but empathy remains. It shifts into perspective-taking and helps us consider the broader context, including the safety of the other child.

Helen Riess
Boston

Christian nationalists are preaching that "empathy is a sin." They call empathy weakness and compassion sinful. What is this all about? What impact is this having on people in this country?

Yet, to our horror, even empathy itself is being questioned.

As Elon Musk remarked recently in a Joe Rogan podcast, “the ­fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy.”

It’s a sentiment that speaks volumes about the current moment.

From dismantling global aid to ­mocking public health efforts, such ­rhetoric reflects a broader worldview where power is concentrated, and responsibility is disparaged.

We are witnessing the rise of ­leaders and influencers who see empathy not as a virtue, but as a vulnerability, ­something to shed in their pursuit of dominance.

This trend of empathy erosion has a name. The Economist’s word of the year for 2024, “kakistrocacy,” refers to a ­system of government in which the least qualified or most unscrupulous ­individuals hold power. It captures a growing sense that our political ­institutions are under attack.

Some cultural conservatives are weaponizing empathy and trying to utilize the term "toxic empathy", also misusing Paul Bloom's work "Against Empathy" to mischaracterize when and how to use empathy.

The New York Times had two pieces in July 2025 that explore this topic. One, an interview with Allie Beth Stuckey - podcast host and author of "Toxic Empathy" conducted by opinion columnist Ross Douthat. The second is a critical look at the weaponization of empathy by non-fiction book critic Jennifer Szalai.

Many of you shared these articles with me when they came out and I'm grateful! Here is my take on those two articles, the idea of toxic empathy and some clarification on what empathy is and isn't. That's what I explore in this edition of Reading Between the Lines (also available to read at the link below)
 

Valuing the welfare of others is a fundamental aspect of empathy and prosocial behavior. How do people develop this valuation? Theories of associative learning suggest that people can associate social cues, such as smiles, with personal reward, thus feeling good when others thrive. Yet people often display generalized concern for others’ welfare, regardless of the specific cues present.

We propose that Pavlovian conditioning allows people to associate reward directly with others’ abstract mental states, learning that another’s happiness predicts their own reward. In four online experiments with 1,500 U.S.-based adults recruited from CloudResearch, participants’ monetary outcomes were congruently or incongruently predicted by a target’s mental states.

Participants who experienced congruent learning reported more empathic feelings toward the target in novel situations. The values attached to mental states further influenced participants’ prosocial choices. These results demonstrate how associative learning of abstract mental states can give rise to generalizable empathy and influence moral behavior.

I've been wanting to write this post for some time now..

As we were preparing to offer this course to the community, I introduced the Empathy Circle format to my friends, and they loved it. We quickly came up with the idea of combining Empathy Circles and Dynamic Facilitation in the communications course -- starting out with small-group Empathy Circles, then coming back together as a larger group to debrief that experience and to engage in a whole-group exploration using Dynamic Facilitation.

The combination worked so well that I named it the "OMAH" process, for "Opening Minds and Hearts". I have since continued to offer it in different contexts, and it has worked quite well each time. What I most like about it, is that it offers people a "taste" of what the Dynamic Facilitation experience is like... while also introducing them to Empathy Circles, a practice that they can easily "take home" with them. And, since both practices are based on active listening, the evening itself is a fairly seamless experience.

Why Does Listening Matter?

Listening is a fundamental part of all human interactions. It is how we learn, connect, and build relationships. Yet, in a world buzzing with distractions, genuinely listening can sometimes feel like a lost art.

According to a study by the International Listening Association, people spend about 45 per cent of their waking hours communicating, but only 25 per cent of that time is spent listening.

How many deep, meaningful conversations do we engage in versus mindless exchanges?

Research shows that active listening can significantly improve personal and professional relationships. When we listen actively, we make an intentional effort to understand, not just hear what someone is saying.

This type of attentive listening serves as a gateway to empathy, enabling us to gain a deeper understanding of the world from another person’s perspective.

As author Stephen R. Covey wisely stated, “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”

People Build Startups — Empathy Builds People
Founding a startup is personal. It’s long hours, tough calls, and uncertain outcomes. In that space, emotional intelligence becomes more than a skill — it becomes a way to stay grounded. A way to build something that lasts.

Empathy is no longer the soft side of business. It’s the strong foundation on which their ventures grow — one honest conversation, one thoughtful decision at a time.

won’t be li

Defining Empathy in the Clinical Setting
Empathy is often confused with sympathy, but in healthcare, the distinction is critical. Sympathy involves feeling sorry for someone, often from a distance. Empathy, on the other hand, is the act of emotionally placing oneself in another’s situation while maintaining enough objectivity to offer appropriate support.

In clinical practice, empathy involves listening attentively, acknowledging a patient’s fears and frustrations, and responding in ways that show genuine care. It can be conveyed through words, tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language. It’s about saying “I understand this is difficult for you” instead of simply reciting test results or treatment plans.

Empathy does not mean letting emotions cloud clinical judgment. Rather, it enhances clinical effectiveness by building trust, improving communication, and fostering a therapeutic alliance between caregiver and patient. When empathy is present, patients are more likely to feel safe, respected, and motivated to participate in their care.