Only 1 to 2 percent of the population experience this type of sensitivity, having the ability to feel and absorb the emotions surrounding them. They likely view the world through their emotions and intuition rather than putting too much logic behind their decision making.
Is empathy a rare character among humans? While being a true empath is a rare thing, nearly everyone has a sense of empathy, defined as, "the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another..."
Now scientists say empathy is not just something we develop through our upbringing and life experiences - it is also partly inherited. A study of 46,000 people found evidence for the first time that genes have a role in how empathetic we are.
And 79% of women – versus 64% of men – say they at least sometimes feel this way.
Empathy seems to arise over time as part of human development, and it also has roots in evolution.
Not all of us are born natural empaths. Most individuals will learn empathy while growing up through observing the interactions of those around them. Luckily, no matter how old you are, it's never too late to become more empathetic. Here are three ways you can actively practice empathy in your daily life.
A dark empath is a term that describes someone who exploits their ability to understand how other people think and feel. They can recognize another person's perspective while also showing signs of psychopathy, narcissism and Machiavellianism.
The highest form of knowledge, according to George Eliot, is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound, purpose‐larger‐than‐the‐self kind of understanding.”
Empathy exists on a spectrum, and in most cases, it isn't entirely absent — it's just diminished. Because empathy is an ability, most people can develop it. Having low empathy doesn't mean you'll feel this way forever.
Hyper-empathy can also be a symptom of borderline personality disorder (BPD), which is why it's important to talk about it with a professional and find a healthy way of regulating your emotions.
Psychologists also called it "perspective-taking." It's an effort to understand how others behave, think, or feel. For some experts, empathy is hard-wired. But a Stanford University study shows that it's a superpower that we can control.
INFP Personality Traits
Empaths tend to prioritize emotion and make decisions that feel right. They are very diplomatic and can easily understand others emotions. They are very flexible in their schedules. INFPs like to keep their options open and tend to be more spontaneous.
Some people are more empathetic than others, and the new study revealed that a significant part of how empathetic we are is down to genetics. In fact, 10 percent of the variation in empathy between people is due to genes, according to the research.
The study points out that some have posited a “Dark” side to Emotional Intelligence, meaning that empathy can facilitate emotional manipulation, deceit and other antisocial behaviors.
Some conditions may play a role in a lack of empathy such as narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), antisocial personality disorder, and borderline personality disorder (BPD).
The new study has three important results. First, it found that how empathetic we are is partly due to genetics. Indeed, a tenth of this variation is due to genetic factors. This confirms previous research examining empathy in identical versus non-identical twins.
Love Does Not Automatically Include Empathy
Based on these definitions and my own experience counseling couples, love does not necessarily include empathy. Think about how some divorced people may still love one another, but never could understand each other!
A personality structure often marked by a lack of empathy is psychopathic personality. Thus, clinical psychology is also concerned with the process of empathy and how this ability influences antisocial personality (including psychopathy) and behavior.
A lack of empathy is often considered to be one of the distinctive features of narcissism. However, this is not entirely the case.
Highly intelligent children are more likely to develop higher levels of empathic skills because they are more sensitive to other people's emotional cues, and are better able to understand other people's thoughts and feelings (Hay, Gross, Hoekman, & Rogers, 2007; Lovecky, 2009).
Research has found that the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person can actually increase your brainpower.
Empaths are highly sensitive individuals, who have a keen ability to sense what people around them are thinking and feeling. Psychologists may use the term empath to describe a person that experiences a great deal of empathy, often to the point of taking on the pain of others at their own expense.
Toxic empathy is when a person over-identifies with someone emotions, feelings and takes them on as their own personal. Although, if the other individual's anxiety and stress keep you from your current tasks and responsibilities, it is called toxic empathy.
Empaths are the opposite of narcissists. While people with narcissistic personality disorder have no empathy, and thrive on the need for admiration, empaths are highly sensitive and in tune with other people's emotions. Empaths are "emotional sponges," who can absorb feelings from other people very easily.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.