200. What’s the Difference Between Empathy and Sympathy?

Can you ever really know how another person feels? What’s the best way to support a grieving person? And why doesn’t Hallmark sell empathy cards?

SOURCES:Daniel Batson • , professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Kansas. Paul Bloom • , professor of psychology at University of Toronto. Paul Polman • , businessman, author, and former C.E.O. of Unilever.

RESOURCES: • “ Empathy, Sympathy, and Emotion Regulation: A Meta-Analytic Review • ,” by H. Melis Yavuz, Tyler Colasante, Emma Galarneau, and Tina Malti ( Psychological Bulletin • , 2024). • “ Have Some Sympathy • ,” by Pamela Paul ( The New York Times • , 2023). • “ What is Club 33? Inside Disney’s Most Exclusive Club • ,” by Evelyn Long ( Walt Disney World Magazine • , 2022). • “ The Case Against Empathy • ,” by Sean Illing ( Vox • , 2019). Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion • , by Paul Bloom (2016). • “ Beautiful friendship: Social sharing of emotions improves subjective feelings and activates the neural reward circuitry • ,” by Ullrich Wagner, Lisa Galli, Björn H. Schott, Andrew Wold, Job van der Schalk, Antony S. R. Manstead, Klaus Scherer, and Henrik Walter ( Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience • , 2015). Just Babies: The Origins of Good and Evil • , by Paul Bloom (2013). The Elegance of the Hedgehog • , by Muriel Barbery (2006). • “ Immorality from Empathy-Induced Altruism: When Compassion and Justice Conflict • ,” by Daniel Batson, Tricia Klein, Lori Highberger, and Laura Shaw ( Journal of Personality and Social Psychology • , 1995). • “ The Four Horsemen: Contempt • ,” by Ellie Lisitsa (The Gottman Institute).

EXTRAS: • “ Is Empathy in Fact Immoral? • ” by No Stupid Questions • (2021). Parasite • , film (2019). King James Bible, Job 2:1-13 • . The Book of Mormon, Mosiah 18:9 • .