Almost everyone can learn to develop such an important trait as empathy. According to the latest neuroscience research, 98% of people (the exceptions include those with psychopathic tendencies) have the ability to empathise wired into their brains - an in-built capacity for stepping into the shoes of others and understanding their feelings and perspectives.
The problem is that most don't tap into their full empathic potential in everyday life.
You can start working this personality trait by doing a quick assessment of your empathic abilities. Neuropsychologist Simon Baron-Cohen has devised a test called Reading the Mind in the Eyes in which you are shown 36 pairs of eyes and have to choose one of four words that best describes what each person is feeling or thinking - for instance, jealous, arrogant, panicked or hateful.
The average score of around 26 suggests that the majority of people are surprisingly good - though far from perfect - at visually reading others' emotions.
There are three simple powerful strategies for unleashing the empathic potential that is latent in our neural circuitry:
- Make a habit of "radical listening"
- Look for the human behind everything
- Become curious about strangers
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Source: www.bbc.com/news/magazine
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