New Study Indicates that Empathy Can Spread Through Social Interactions

To feel empathy is human — the ability is a core aspect of what makes us us, and what makes societies function as a whole. It plays a critical role in how we form relationships, communicate, collaborate, and how we act towards those we interact with. And, yet, there has existed a long-standing preconception that the empathic ability one has is fixed and cannot be modified by anything once adolescent development ends. When describing empathy, folks say “I am very empathetic” and “They don’t have empathy” with a sense of finality akin to “I am alive” and “He is a human”.

Recently, however, scientists have delved deeper into the dynamics of empathy, and uncovered a fascinating phenomenon: it can be socially transmitted. Not only can our ability to be empathetic vary throughout our lifetime, it can vary from one interaction to the next. Discover how a newly published study has shed light on how empathy flows through our social connections and reveals the pathways through which it is shared, amplified, and sometimes, diminished.

The Study Unveiled

In late February 2024, a new study published to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provided incredible insight into how empathy is transferred from person to person. The research successfully showcased a way to modify the overall empathic responses by groups of participants- by modifying what the group members observed before they had the chance to be empathetic.

In a series of independent experiments, study participants were individually shown a video of someone experiencing pain to their hand. The participants then had to numerically rate how much empathy they felt. Following this, group participants were either shown someone responding with or without empathy. The group of participants was shown a second video of hand pain. The researchers found that the video of empathic or non-empathic reactions had a significant effect on modifying how much empathy the participants felt toward the second video.

With a combination of these experiments and the use of “computational learning models and functional MRI” applied to the results of the first portion of the study, the group of researchers was able to essentially formalize the mechanism that causes the social transmission of empathy or non-empathy. For the first time, we have gained commendable research that indicates that empathy can be socially transmitted and that individual empathy levels can be modified by the environment an individual is in.

Real-Life Implications of Social Empathy Transmission

Considering how effectively these stimuli can motivate a change in empathetic behavior, the study points to the incredible importance of the company you keep, the content you consume, and the experiences you have. As a social animal, our natural tendency is to use the people around us as an example of how we should behave. Who we are is defined by the company we keep, the company we choose not to keep, and the company that chooses to keep us.

In addition, this research highlights the neuroplasticity of the adult brain. Once considered a stagnant organ past a certain age, more and more studies are providing evidence that even we adults can learn, grow, and even change our ways. The structure of our brains is regularly shifting, affected by “the behaviors an individual engages in, as well as the environment in which an individual lives, works, and plays.”

So, then, what is the best way to develop empathy? Simply, surround yourself with it. Practice feeling it, observe people displaying it, and befriend those who are skilled at it. You are the company you keep and the environment you survive within. This means that modifying either for the better will help you improve, grow, heal, and learn.

Cultivating Future-Proof Empathy in Our Societies

The ongoing societal changes brought about by globalization and urbanization have already affected empathy transmission patterns. The world is incredibly interconnected and, with improved technologies forecasted, that trend will likely continue. Online, individuals like you and I are exposed to a diverse array of cultures, perspectives, and experiences with every moment we read, watch, and scroll.

Though this diversity of perspective offers an incredible opportunity to cultivate more empathetic groups across the globe, it also has [and will continue to] come with its fair share of growing pains and challenges. We’ve already seen the effects of looking to unempathetic influencers, spending time reading hateful content, and observing content that induces anger, frustration, and a lack of “faith in humanity”. The study published in PNAS emphasizes this greatly, pointing to how sharply even a single non-empathic or empathic reaction can alter individual behavior.

As our societies continue to evolve in response to these strange times and incredible technological advances, it becomes imperative to navigate these changes mindfully and to do all that we can as individuals to foster empathy amidst diversity and leverage technology to bridge divides rather than deepen them.

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It’s apparent that this exciting research has only scratched the surface of a remarkably complex phenomenon, but the implications of such important research are already fascinating. With further research into this subsection of psychology, and more studies that back up the claims of this study’s research team, we may soon be able to discover more about empathy, and how we can foster societies that develop it.

Empathy is intimately woven into our social fabric, creating connections that bind us together and govern how we interact. And, with the evidence the study above provides, we can proceed with the knowledge that we can shape our social environments, nurture empathy where it is lacking and amplify it where it flourishes. We can strive to be catalysts for empathy transmission and recognize our role as both recipients and conduits of this invaluable human trait.

Continue to spread the warmth of empathy and emphasize the cultivation of it within yourself and your communities. In doing so, you contribute to a world rich in empathy, compassion, and shared humanity. You can make the world a better, more empathetic place.

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