3 Strategies To Increase Empathy Based On Science

Many would argue the world needs more empathy, cooperation and generosity—in the face of today’s challenges—and as things have become more polarized.

Conflict, incivility and disagreement seem to be on the rise, but it’s possible to have a positive influence.

Recent research has demonstrated ways to enhance empathy and behave in more prosocial ways—contributing to beneficial effects for others, and even for yourself.

Good for You and Others

The challenges are real in terms of reductions in cooperation and consideration. A vast majority of people, 74%, report that positive behaviors and civility have decreased, according to a study by the University of Chicago. And 84%-87% of people say they’ve worked with a toxic coworker or boss, based on data from FlexJobs.

On the other hand, when you behave in pro-social ways—through supporting, sharing, cooperating or giving, for example—the effects are very rewarding. You help others, but you also help yourself.

In fact, generosity is linked with greater happiness, satisfaction, wellbeing and better relationships, according to a poll conducted by The Ascent. When people were more generous,

• 81% felt a greater sense of meaning
• 74% were more satisfied with their lives
• 70% were more satisfied with their careers
• 78% were more satisfied with their co-workers
• And they had more friends (3.2 friends compared with 2.6 friends of those less generous)

Behaving with empathy and pro-social approaches is worth it.

Consider Your Impact

One of the first things you can do to be more empathetic and behave pro-socially, is to seek to understand how your behavior will impact someone else. In fact, 60% of people want to understand the effects of their actions, based on a study published in Psychological Bulletin.

The research asked people if they wanted to know how their actions would impact others. For those who chose not to know, they did so in order to act more selfishly. But most people wanted to do the right thing for others, based on being fully informed of the consequences of their choices. This was motivated partly by social pressure and how others would view them, but also based on their esteem and desire to view themselves in a positive light.

When you’re making decisions, be intentional about thinking through how your actions will affect others. Doing the right thing can involve investing time, money or effort and when you consider the consequences of your choices, it will tend to motivate more positive, empathetic behavior.

Think small—whether you let the person with fewer items go ahead of you in line—or think big about purchasing products which affect people or resources, for example. But be intentional about considering consequences for all kinds of your choices day-to-day.

Read Other People

Another way to enhance empathy and cooperation is to focus on building your skills in reading and responding to other people. In psychology, this is referred to as Theory of Mind. Essentially, it’s the ability to understand and take the perspective of another person. It’s being intentional in tuning into the other person, understanding where they’re coming from, hypothesizing about their intentions and imagining their feelings.

A study at the University of Birmingham found that when people had stronger skills in reading others, they were more successful in cooperating to complete tasks. The skill worked with one skilled person cooperating with another, and it had exponential positive effects when two skilled people worked together.

Pay attention to others, look for signals of their emotions, imagine what they might be going through, and guess at what they want—and then respond in constructive ways. Known as social cognition, these skills can enhance your relationships both professionally and personally.

Imagine Distress

Another way to enhance your empathetic behaviors is to focus on distress. In fact, when people were able to more vividly imagine someone else’s pain, challenges or suffering, they were more likely to lend help and support and more likely to put themselves forward to solve problems, according to research published in the journal, Emotion.

Through imagining struggles, you don’t need to take on the pain yourself—as this could erode your own wellbeing and ability to help—but you can visualize enough to motivate your own pro-social contributions.

Ask questions and seek to learn what people are facing, and then take their perspective and try on the emotions they must be feeling. These will help move you to action.

Make an Impact

The world may indeed need greater empathy, cooperation and generosity—and you can have a significant influence, even with small actions. The primary way people learn is through watching others, listening to them and experiencing them. As a result, you have a greater impact than you may realize, just based on the choices you make and how you interact with others.