According to 2025 neuroscience, empathy is the ability to recognise and share the emotions of others, driven by a complex interplay of brain systems.
The word ‘recognise’ in this context means being able to perceive and understand what someone else is feeling by reading facial expressions, tone of voice, body language, and context.
The word ‘share’ is about the emotional feeling that we get when we know that someone is sad or happy. This comes from mirror neurons.
Emotional empathy activates the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and insula, mirroring others’ pain as if it were our own.
Cognitive empathy, on the other hand, involves mentalising networks that help us infer what others are thinking or feeling.
Empathy forms through emotional learning. When we feel rewarded by someone else’s happiness, our brain begins to treat them like a favourite. This emotional association builds empathy, even in the absence of direct rewards.
Empathy shapes our behaviour, decisions, and relationships. It drives prosocial actions, deepens connection, and even influences how we respond to distress.
When we witness someone in pain, the same neural pathways light up as if we were experiencing it ourselves. This “affect sharing” is essential for social bonding and survival.
The challenge is that empathy can shut down. Stress, burnout, and emotional overload can hijack our empathic circuits.
Neuroscience shows that empathy and compassion activate different brain networks. Empathy can lead to distress and fatigue, while compassion engages reward and motivation centres.
Without compassion, empathy can overwhelm us. What gets in the way - emotional exhaustion, disconnection from others, competitive environments, digital overload, and reduced face-to-face interaction.
Now we can see why empathy drifts into the background in our very busy world.
Empathy is not just a trait; it’s a skill. And like any skill, it can be trained, strengthened, and protected.
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What Is Empathy, Truly?