Are We Still Empathic if We Don't Take Action? - Deepstash
Behavioral Economics, Explained

Learn more about communication with this collection

How to make rational decisions

The role of biases in decision-making

The impact of social norms on decision-making

Behavioral Economics, Explained

Discover 52 similar ideas in

It takes just

7 mins to read

Key Takeaways

Key Takeaways

  • Empathy is a gateway to action. What one does next is the result of a separate decision.
  • Actions informed by empathy tend to be prosocial, which helps us cooperate and live productively with others.
  • Sometimes, fixing situations or telling others what to do is not the most empathic way to respond.

19

397 reads

Empathy And Action

Empathy And Action

There is much going on in the world today that touches us deeply and evokes empathy. But the events we see maybe thousands of miles away, and while we feel moved emotionally, we may not know what to do or how to respond.

What does that lack of action or not knowing what to do means? Is it that we are notย empathicย enough?

The answer for some maybe yes, but for most of us the answer is no; we are experiencing empathy. However, taking action is separate from empathy. We may have an abundance of empathy but what follows those feelings is complicated.

17

256 reads

The Effect Of Empathy

The Effect Of Empathy

Numerous controlled experiments have demonstrated that empathy leads people to take actions on behalf of others and to do so without personal gain or even at a cost.

Empathy also helps us to cooperate with others. We use empathy as a tool to read other people, which helps us to exchange information in helpful ways, and as a result, productively live in social groups. While there are other reasons that people might do prosocial things (maybeย guiltย or desire for recognition) empathy has consistently correlated with positive actions.

18

169 reads

Simply Being Empathetic Is Not Action

Simply Being Empathetic Is Not Action

We often think of empathy as the evidence of doing good, and yes, the two are related. But they are not the same. Empathy is not an outcome; rather it is an emotive experience that can inform what we do next. The action we might take as a result of empathy is often to be helpful, caring, cooperative, and compassionate, but that is the result of a separate decision.

17

200 reads

Empathy Without Action

There may be times that we have an empathic experience and take action, and there may be times that we do not do anything. Or, we may choose to respond in a way that may not seem to others to look particularly active.

The reason that empathy is so important, even if there is no observable action taken, is because we are heard and our feelings are validated. When we feel heard and understood, we feel connected to others in ways that promote positive social interactions

17

145 reads

When To Act

When To Act

When sharing emotions and experiences, we may want to fix situations or tell others what to do, but that is not the most empathic way to respond.

Empathy helps you to communicate to others that they are being heard and understood. Using the key empathy skills of settingย boundariesย and engaging inย emotion regulation, we can pause to recognize our own emotions and not get overwhelmed by those emotions. This pause allows us to act in ways that are beneficial to the other; not act in ways that we imagine would fit or do what we would want.

17

152 reads

CURATED BY

christinsm

Yoga instructor and Fitness instructor

stash-superman-illustration

Explore the Worldโ€™s

Best Ideas

200,000+ ideas on pretty much any topic. Created by the smartest people around & well-organized so you can explore at will.

An Idea for Everything

Explore the biggest library of insights. And we've infused it with powerful filtering tools so you can easily find what you need.

Knowledge Library

Powerful Saving & Organizational Tools

Save ideas for later reading, for personalized stashes, or for remembering it later.

# Personal Growth

Take Your Ideas

Anywhere

Organize your ideas & listen on the go. And with Pro, there are no limits.

Listen on the go

Just press play and we take care of the words.

Never worry about spotty connections

No Internet access? No problem. Within the mobile app, all your ideas are available, even when offline.

Get Organized with Stashes

Ideas for your next work project? Quotes that inspire you? Put them in the right place so you never lose them.

Join

2 Million Stashers

4.8

5,740 Reviews

App Store

4.7

72,690 Reviews

Google Play

Ashley Anthony

This app is LOADED with RELEVANT, HELPFUL, AND EDUCATIONAL material. It is creatively intellectual, yet minimal enough to not overstimulate and create a learning block. I am exceptionally impressed with this app!

โ€œ

Sean Green

Great interesting short snippets of informative articles. Highly recommended to anyone who loves information and lacks patience.

โ€œ

Shankul Varada

Best app ever! You heard it right. This app has helped me get back on my quest to get things done while equipping myself with knowledge everyday.

โ€œ

samz905

Donโ€™t look further if you love learning new things. A refreshing concept that provides quick ideas for busy thought leaders.

โ€œ

Ghazala Begum

Even five minutes a day will improve your thinking. I've come across new ideas and learnt to improve existing ways to become more motivated, confident and happier.

โ€œ

Giovanna Scalzone

Brilliant. It feels fresh and encouraging. So many interesting pieces of information that are just enough to absorb and apply. So happy I found this.

โ€œ

Jamyson Haug

Great for quick bits of information and interesting ideas around whatever topics you are interested in. Visually, it looks great as well.

โ€œ

Laetitia Berton

I have only been using it for a few days now, but I have found answers to questions I had never consciously formulated, or to problems I face everyday at work or at home. I wish I had found this earlier, highly recommended!

โ€œ

Read & Learn

20x Faster

without
deepstash

with
deepstash

with

deepstash

Access to 200,000+ ideas

โ€”

Access to the mobile app

โ€”

Unlimited idea saving & library

โ€”

โ€”

Unlimited history

โ€”

โ€”

Unlimited listening to ideas

โ€”

โ€”

Downloading & offline access

โ€”

โ€”

Personalized recommendations

โ€”

โ€”

Supercharge your mind with one idea per day

Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.

Email

I agree to receive email updates