Cultivating Change: Compassion vs Empathy
Most of us were introduced to the terms ‘compassion’ and ‘empathy’ as young children at school. We now see these terms being used by businesses to better represent their managers and leaders in workplaces. But the more these terms have been used, the more their definitions have been blurred. Now, as businesses recover from the pandemic, and pave their way back into the market, it may be increasingly important to understand the difference between compassion and empathy in order to promote society’s mental wellbeing, post-lockdown.
Although the terms have been used interchangeably by many of us, without much thought, they, in fact, are represented by different parts of the brain. So how are they different and why are they important? Both empathy and compassion are emotions that help us relate to another individuals experience — but they are represented differently (i.e. being an empathetic person is not the same as being a compassionate person). Compassion is generally understood to be the feeling of understanding a person's emotional situation and wanting to, selflessly, pitch in to help them. Its Latin origins — “compati” literally means “to suffer with”. It’s the feeling that arises when we witness someone suffering, motivating a desire to help them. It is seen as an emotional response within many religious principles such as Buddhism.
Being an empathic person —
So how is this different from empathy, you ask? While it is closely related, the two are still fundamentally different. Empathy is our ability to understand and be aware of others’ emotions as if we were in their shoes. It is a psychological concept rooted within us. It comes from a desire to understand and connect with others, making it almost instinctual. While it is good to practise empathy for our own personal health and relationships, studies have shown that it may cause more harm than help – as it unconsciously makes us more sympathetic and connected towards those in familiarity or proximity. This can make it difficult for us to connect to people whose experiences don’t mirror ours and may hinder our role as leaders. The ability to share someone else’s emotions, in the long run, can lead to burnout and exhaustion – suggesting that it is more difficult to give to our teammates or the people around us. The idea of empathy arises from the feelings of sameness and while we may feel for someone because of a human connection, beyond a point, biases are inevitable.
The benefits of compassion —
Does this mean that we should choose to practice compassion over empathy? Unfortunately, the answer is more complex than a simple yes or no. There have been numerous studies suggesting that as individuals, practising compassion is far more beneficial to our well-being, our relationships and our workplaces. It usually follows with positive verbs such as ‘regenerative’ or ‘unifying’ whilst empathy is accompanied by ‘draining’ or ‘divisive’. From what we understand about empathy, we realise that it is essential because “you can’t act effectively in the world if you don’t have some sense of what other people want”. However, compassion is more highly regarded in practice from positions of leadership and management. For example, compassion is more solution-focused, as it begins with empathy and turns outward with an intent to help, i.e. it is active and constructive. Moreover, the bonus of dopamine that comes from this approach is motivating, hence making it regenerative and ultimately, sustainable. Empathy, in this case, can lead to the rumination of problems, bringing a wave of negative emotions and, in the long run, exhausting our cognitive resources.
Training and practice can help us be more empathetic and compassionate individuals, leaders and managers. It's a tool that’s unlocked from within, by being more aware of our actions, thoughts and feelings. One of the ways to do this is by practising mindfulness. Studies have shown that mindfulness supports “deliberate and constructive decision-making” unlocking greater potential for compassionate leadership.
Compassion or Empathy?—
After reading about the benefits of practising compassion, you can't help but wonder what role does empathy play in our lives? After all, it is the foundational emotion for any human connection. Surprisingly, in the field of Psychotherapy and Counselling, empathy has been found to play a very positive and important role in treating individuals with poor mental health.
If you clicked this article to learn about the positionality of compassion and empathy in our lives, you have hopefully learnt why practising compassion is a must-do. As for the benefits of empathy; our next article will be discussing how practising empathy can be beneficial and for whom.
References and resources:
1. https://www.mentalhelp.net/blogs/compassion-vs-empathy/
2. https://www.forbes.com/sites/rasmushougaard/2020/07/08/four-reasons-why-compassion-is-better-for-humanity-than-empathy/?sh=32b9e4f6d6f9
3. https://www.betterup.com/blog/compassion-vs-empathy
