The genetics of empathy has been in the news of late. It seems empathic ability has been linked to oxytocin receptors in the brain.
In a blog post, Sarina Rodrigues, Professor of psychology at Oregon State University asks: “Is It Dangerous to Give People the Idea That Empathy Can Be Reduced to Genetics?”
Saria says yes. I agree. Read more…
Just posted at the Marin Independent Journal from Dr. Dustin Ballard, in “How to avoid a ‘hardened’ heart”, he writes:
I think you’ll agree that medical care today is truly amazing – most of the time. One area, however, where the system struggles is in the practice of empathy – the acknowledgment and understanding of a patient’s physical and emotional condition. It’s not that we don’t understand the benefits of empathy; on the contrary, evidence shows that patients with empathetic physicians are more satisfied and more compliant with their treatment regimens. Rather, it’s that empathy, in comparison with the nuts and bolts of diagnosis and treatment, is underappreciated and undernurtured.
Dr. Ballard mentions a study where primary care physicians are given “mindful communication” training resulting in a measurable increase in empathic response and then, sadly for me, concludes this type of program is limited in feasibility and results. I would love to have read how Dr. Ballard reached that conclusion, since the quality and effectiveness of empathy training could easily be dependent upon who provides the training and what their approach and abilities might be. Nonetheless, Dr. Ballard’s call for more empathy in the medical community and beyond inspires a lot of hope and gratitude in me.
For an in-depth look at the humanization of health care in general, I recommend Mel Sears book (Mel is both and empathy trainer and an RN):
Primatologist Frans de Waal, author of “The Age of Empathy: Nature’s Lessons for a Kinder Society, has some surprising news about human empathy: among the beasts of the animal kingdom, we are not alone in this emotion. De Waal says research shows that both lab rats and elephants, among other creatures, have an instinctual tendency toward empathetic behavior.
Recently DeWaal has been making the rounds in the media, recently guest blogging at the Washington Post. The Post asked De Waal to comment on the connection between his work and current politics, and he doesn’t disappoint us. An interesting read.
Frans de Waal, a professor of primate behavior in the psychology department at Emory University, is the author of “The Age of Empathy.”
By FRANS DE WAAL
Are humans hard-wired to be ruthlessly competitive or supportive of one another?
The behavior of our ape relatives, known as peaceful vegetarians, once bolstered the view that our actions could not be traced to an impulse to dominate. But in the late 1970s, when chimpanzees were discovered to hunt monkeys and kill each other, they became the poster boys for our violent origins and aggressive instinct.
From Medill Reports, written and produced by graduate journalism students at Northwestern University’s Medill school.
The answer to whether a person can unselfishly value the welfare of another may be found in current research on empathy, a University of Kansas researcher told a meeting in Chicago Wednesday.
Daniel Batson, a professor of social psychology at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, maintained that people can value things outside of themselves.
“The more we value the welfare of others, the more likely we are to feel empathic concern, which then results in the altruistic motivations,” he said.
Editor’s Note: This researcher has learned what many of us who practice empathy and Nonviolent Communication know by experience: The more I include the needs of others, the more I feel open and receptive to the plight of others. In my experience, it’s a matter of learning how to focus my attention differently, and trusting my natural tendency toward empathy. The focus of attention is what is learned, the empathic potential already exists. Actually, this learning to focus my attention entails an “unlearning” process, whereby I recognize my conditioned responses to stimuli and release them, and choose to listen rather than react.
Study finds colds lasted a day less with caring professionals
Going to a doctor who understands how you feel and encourages you to get better can do more than boost your spirits. It can also be good for your health.
That’s the message of a study by a team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Fla.
Patients with colds whose clinicians showed empathy toward them in an office visit suffered one fewer day of misery than did patients whose clinicians took a just-the-facts approach. The research was published in the July/August issue of the journal Family Medicine.
Study: Kindness better than drugs for treating colds
Purge your medicine cabinet of cold medication and find yourself a doctor who empathizes with you during times of illness. You may recover faster.
A new study conducted by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health published in the July issue of Family Medicine found people recover faster from the common cold when their doctor is compassionate. The research focused on 350 patients from primary care clinics in southern Wisconsin.
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