Empathy
Understanding what another person feels, and often feeling it with them while still knowing the feeling is theirs. It began as a term in German aesthetics.
Full definition of Empathy →:: COMPARE ::
EmpathyvsCompassion
The short answer
Empathy shares the suffering; compassion responds to it. Not semantic hair-splitting — after training, the two states showed different affective outcomes and different brain networks. Caregivers who burn out are usually running on empathy.
Side by side
| Aspect | Empathy | Compassion |
|---|---|---|
| Affect produced | Negative rises | Positive rises |
| Network | Insula, aMCC | mOFC, ventral striatum |
| Sustainable | Poorly | Better |
| Motivates action | Not reliably | Yes |
What each one means
Compassion
The contrast above sets out how Compassion differs from Empathy on the points that actually matter.