New Research May Support the Existence of Empaths

Do empaths exist? Many people who claim to be highly sensitive or intuitive to the emotions of others and even to feel what others feel would respond with an enthusiastic “yes.” The scientific studies that are often used to demonstrate that empaths exist, however, provide indirect evidence. This includes research showing the existence of mirror neurons in the brain, which are said to enable us to read and understand each other’s emotions by filtering them through our own (Iacobani, 2008). Other studies used to explain empaths include the concept of emotional contagion, which is the idea that when people synchronize their attitudes, behaviors and speech, they also synchronize their emotions both consciously and unconsciously (Hatfield, Cacioppo & Rapson, 1994). These studies explain the existence of empathy in general. They do not explain why some people — empaths — have more of it than others. As a result, some scientists have been skeptical about whether empaths do exist and at the very least have argued that there is no evidence to support their existence beyond anecdotal descriptions of what it feels like to be one. It appears, however, that research to support the existence of empaths does potentially exist. Neuroscientist and psychologist Abigail Marsh describes in her book The Fear Factor (2017) how she found evidence that there is a difference in the brains of people who are highly empathetic to others. She calls them “altruists.” Mars...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Ethics & Morality Family Friends Psychology Relationships Research Empath Highly Sensitive Person Source Type: blogs