Empathy makes us human, but research suggests it may be on the decline

[applegrove]

Empathy makes us human, but research suggests it may be on the decline

CBC Radio 

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thesundayedition/the-sunday-edition-for-june-9-2019-1.5165327/empathy-makes-us-human-but-research-suggests-it-may-be-on-the-decline-1.5166354

"SNIP......

Sara Konrath is a Canadian social psychologist and the director of the Interdisciplinary Program on Empathy and Altruism Research at Indiana University. Her 2010 study found that younger generations in particular are less empathetic and more narcissistic. 

Another study from the U.K. suggested British citizens feel empathy is taking a downward turn. Meanwhile, stories of increasing political polarization, the demonizing of refugees or desperate migrants from other parts of the world, and hate crimes would seem to point to the empathic impulse being overwhelmed by anger, anxiety, suspicion and prejudice.

People are burned out

While it's tempting to put the blame squarely on technology and social media, she believes a lot of factors come into play, from a long-term trend in Western societies becoming more individualistic, to something as basic as mental fatigue.

"I see these changes not just in empathy, but in social interaction and social connection ... and a lot of them are coming at the same time as we have increasing pressures, increasing competition, increasing desire for success, and increasing inequality," Konrath told The Sunday Edition's host Michael Enright, adding that she believes people are burned out.

.......SNIP"

[Turin_C3PO]

1. It's strange to me that empathy is on the decline in younger people.

Because study after study shows the young to be more liberal, more accepting of gays, etc.

[applegrove]

4. Maybe the refugee situation in Europe. Maybe climate change and

farming disruption are making people more competitive. And in past drastic climate changes people could just migrate somewhere else.

[trev]

5. I don't know whether that's really empathy, though.

According to one study, Millennials tend to be narcissistic and detached from outward events.

https://www.livescience.com/38061-millennials-generation-y.html

[Turin_C3PO]

7. I'm guessing it's due to social media.

It encourages narcissism.

[trev]

16. Yes, I think that has a lot to do with it.

I'm not against social media per se (I'm on here, after all), but it does annoy me when I sit down to talk to people and the first thing they do is pull out the cell phones and start Internet surfing. I might as well stay home.

[Hortensis]

3. We see it happening on the roads. Used to be a stopped car

offered passersby an opportunity to be caring and helpful and leave feeling good about themselves. Especially in rural areas. Now that cell service is assumed no one stops.

Add increasing population to all those increases. Plus, increasing anxiety from climate change and disappearing fresh waster is huge in increasing protective conservative responses, which mean decreasing empathy and generosity.

In other words, we're in a mean era which has particular weakness for being taken over by authoritarian leaders. Western liberal democracy is inherently liberal and inherently generous, empathetic, and concerned with the rights of the individual.

And the Democratic Party is the liberal party protecting our democracy, of course.

[applegrove]

6. Family of mine is getting into how to be a greater community in Toronto.

The study is important because Toronto is one of the most multicultural places on earth and they have to get it right in this time and place. Many, many are doing their part to create better 'connective tissue' in the country and elsewhere around the world.

[Hortensis]

8. Fantastic. The subject brings to mind nextdoor.com,

although it's a very different sort of enterprise. But our neighborhood, plus adjacent others around a nearby lake, rural not long ago, is one of its covered areas, and it has real potential for bringing people together in a variety of ways. Good for cultural assimilation also.

https://nextdoor.com/

$25 · (Angus) Male Cat, 4 yrs old, medium-long hair, black with small white patch on chest *******, **********.
I have a cat I need to re-home. Male, fixed,indoor only, UTD on shots. He needs to be an only pet, to be safe I would add no young children. He would be a good companion for someone used to cat quirks. He is not getting along with our other cats and we have given it quite awhile using Feliway plug ins and Jackson Galaxy suggestions for introduction. With us humans, he loves a snuggle and being brushed is wonderful. There will be a re-homing fee involved and I will request updates.

Her honesty and caring are lovely, but on browsing one might well assume there's a cat shortage around here. $25 seems to be a standard sale price for "re-homeing" mature cats, even apparently cranky-mean ones. Very unlike where we came from, no one's offering $25 to anyone who'll please take them.

[applegrove]

9. I would take in an elder cat if i had the room and the money. But I don't.

[Hortensis]

10. Sure. We're very fond of cats for undemanding affection,

great return for very little. Empathy rewarded.

But know what you mean. Modern veterinary medicine and its costs mean that when we are ready to start adopting pets again it will be older animals with the understanding that we will no longer be purchasing medical care for hundreds and thousands of dollars we simply can't afford. A home and lots of love and attention until and if. The alternative would be not to provide that home.

[applegrove]

13. Oh i think you are always suppossed to ask for money for a pet. That

cuts down on sickos buying them to hurt them. In fact, i read or heard at minimum you should ask $100. Cuts out irresponsible people too.

Once as i was walking down the street a college student was walking around say "do you want a cat?" to anyone she went by. Cat was in her arms. She was a college student who got a kitten her first year in college and was going home for the summer. Pissed off i said i'd take the cat that was in her arms. She didn't have it fixed. He was sweet. I took him into the vet to get him fixed. I made a flyer with a photo of the little guy and put it up at the vets. I got a phone call. A family wanted him. I said i would give him away for free if i could meet them. They came by my apartment.. a father and a daughter. Good people. The tween was thrilled to have a pet you could tell. That is the only situation where you should give away a pet for free when you know the new owners are serious and good people.

[applegrove]

15. Toronto is too big for my liking. I like to visit but the traffic is awful. Very

pretty city with ravines everywhere. But if you are young and have international tastes, Toronto is the big city to be in. I once worked with a Tibetan family. Their nephew arrived in canada from the US to go to college in canada. He had lived NYCity and Seattle. We were in a small town. His college was in a small town. He went to Toronto with his mom and sister and was blown away by how multicultural and big it was. That was 20 years ago when Toronto was not so well known around the world. That has since changed. Canadian cities are pretty lovely at this point. Just hope the conservatives don't get elected and social engineer too many into becoming assholes.

[trev]

17. My parents were Canadian

(which automatically makes me Canadian) but from a much smaller place, Hamilton. I looked into moving there a few years ago, but decided there was no way I could handle the winters. Snow and cold were what drove my parents to California.

Would love to visit Toronto some day, though.

[applegrove]

19. I think Hamilton is considered part of Toronto by now. Some Raptors landed

in Drake's 767 at the Hamilton Airport and took limos back to Toronto after winning the championship. Toronto winters are not bad. And it is getting warmer every year. They have never lived down the time 25 years ago when they had a two foot snow storm and the frazzled mayor called in the army. They are not used to snow storms. The rest of the country thinks they are wimps. I'm in Ottawa and it definitely gets winter. If you go south of Hamilton to the Niagara Peninsula it is really mild and they actually grow fruit and grapes there. I actually just had a strawberry milkshake made with berries from there. Delicious. If you move to British Columbia they have very mild rainy winters there in the south. But they also have rainy summers. All in all i like the change in seasons. Plus i overheat at the least exertion. I used to power through it and excercise when i was younger but now find it really uncomfy. I take a rag with me to wipe my brow these days in ottawa. Sunny and warm finally. My heat and sweating is so extreme it has to be some scottish-german gene mutation that never caught on. My mom had it too. I definitely belong in the north.

[trev]

20. Sounds great. :)

[malaise]

11. She left out racist propaganda

including the spread of fear

[lunatica]

14. What was the study showing more empathy in past generations?

I have a problem believing this “study”. How can you claim there is less of something when you have no idea what that something was in the past?

[spanone]

18. It doesn't exist in the republican party.