We’ve all heard of compassion and empathy. We also know that a lack of empathy is associated with psychopathic and psychopathic behavior. But is there scientific evidence that empathy exists? Is empathy real or just an unproven theory? Can science prove something as intangible as empathy?

In all scientific research, theories are proven or disproved through experimentation. Results are defined and examined within a set of parameters. But how can you prove that empathy is real?

First of all, what is empathy?

What is empathy?

Empathy is the tendency to feel and understand another person’s feelings. Empaths are sensitive and can put themselves in the other person’s shoes. They are in tune with a person’s mood and changes in the atmosphere.

Feelings and emotions are key to knowing if empathy is real, but how do you study them in a scientific setting? The problem is that psychology is not an exact science. However, many scientific theories suggest that empathy is real.

Are empaths real?
Seven scientific studies show that empathy is real:
mirror neurons
Sensory processing disorder
Emotional infection
Increased dopamine sensitivity
Electromagnetism
joint pain
Synesthesia touch mirror

1. Mirror neurons
   My first case examining whether there is an actual basis for empathy occurred in the 1980s. Italian researchers found a strange reaction in the brains of macaques. They discovered that the same neurons fired when a monkey reached for a peanut and another watched the process.

In other words, performing the action and watching it activate the same neurons in the monkeys. The researchers called these “mirror neurons.” The researchers realized that these neurons only fire when performing specific actions.

They speculated that these mirror neurons might be present in all mammals, including humans, but how do you test this? Studies of monkeys involved attaching electrodes directly to their brains.

As a result, the experimenters were able to record activity from a single neuron. But you can’t record human responses this way. Instead, the experimenters used neuroimaging to record the activity.

“With imaging, you know that inside a little box about three millimeters by three millimeters by three millimeters, you have activation from action and vision. But that little box contains millions of neurons, so you can’t know for sure that they’re the same neurons — maybe They are just neighbors.” Psychologist Christian Keizers, Ph.D., University of Groningen, The Netherlands

Scientists do not have the technology to identify individual neurons present in monkeys. However, they could observe the same reflex activity within a small region in the human brain. Furthermore, empaths have a higher number of mirror neurons, while sociopaths and psychopaths tend to have fewer.

2. Sensory processing disorder
   Some people experience sensory overload. You only need to think of those on the autism spectrum or Asperger’s spectrum to see what I mean. People with sensory processing disorder (SPD) have difficulty processing information from the senses. They feel bombarded by sensory signals. Their brains cannot process everything that is received from the senses.

As a result, things like noise, color, light, touch, and even some types of food become overwhelming. So it makes sense that hypersensitive people may also be sensitive to other people’s feelings. So, what is the scientific evidence?

The SPD is not just an aversion to stimuli in the environment, it is caused by abnormalities in the brain. White matter makes up the wires that help connect different parts of the brain. It is necessary for the transmission of sensory information.

In one study, researchers from the University of San Francisco found abnormalities in the white brain matter of children diagnosed with SPD.

“Until now, SPD had no known biological basis. Our findings point the way to establishing a biological basis for the disease that can be easily measured and used as a diagnostic tool.” Lead author – Pratik Mukherjee, MD, PhD, UCSF Professor

3. Emotional infection
   Is passion contagious? Several studies indicate that it is. Just think about it. A friend comes to visit you and she is in a bad mood. Suddenly, your mood changes to match hers.

Or imagine someone is telling a joke, but they are laughing so hard they can’t get the words out. Now you find yourself laughing, but you have no idea if the joke is funny.

Emotional contagion is associated with emotional arousal, and we can measure that arousal, so we may be able to tell if the empathy is genuine after all. When we feel emotions, we have a physiological response. Just think of the polygraph tests conducted on suspects. Factors such as heart rate, breathing, and changes in skin responses are indicators of emotional arousal.

Studies show that emotional contagion is just as prevalent on social media as it is in real life. In 2012, Facebook did research on emotional infection. For one week, I exposed people to negative or positive posts in their news feeds.

The results showed that people were affected by the negative or positive emotional content that was shown. For example, those who viewed more negative posts used more negative words in their subsequent posts. Similarly, those who viewed positive posts posted more positive updates themselves.

There is also a lot of historical evidence supporting this theory. In 1991, the children returned to their parents after Orkney Children’s Services admitted there was no evidence of parental satanic abuse. The accusations stemmed from the social workers’ inappropriate interviewing techniques, with the testimony of other children.

4. Electromagnetism

Just as some people are hypersensitive to external stimuli, so are others affected by electromagnetic fields. You may be aware that our brain generates an electromagnetic field, but did you know that our heart generates the largest electromagnetic field in the body?

The field generated by the heart is 60 times greater than that of the brain and can be detected from several feet away.

Not only that, but research at the HeartMath Institute has shown that the field in one person can be detected and measured when sitting a few feet away from another person.

“When people touch or are nearby, a conversion of the electromagnetic energy produced by the heart occurs.” Rollin McCraty, Ph.D., et al.

Moreover, research indicates that feelings and desires are transmitted through these electromagnetic fields. If the sympathizer is genuine, they will have a direct connection with someone via electromagnetism.

5. Dopamine sensitivity
   Empaths are naturally sensitive to the emotions, moods, and feelings of those around them. But one study shows that sensitivity to dopamine may prove that empathy is real.

“Human studies have shown that lower dopamine levels are associated with greater donation of money to a poor child in a developing country.” Reuter, M, et al.

If you are sensitive to the world, you experience everything with a higher power. It’s like converting sound and image to the extreme. As a result, you need less dopamine (the pleasure hormone) to make you feel happy.

Studies also show that lower dopamine levels are associated with an improved ability to predict the behavior of others.

So, is empathy real because they experience the world so intensely? Do they pick up on small changes in the atmosphere or people’s moods?

6. I feel your pain
   Is it possible to physically feel another person’s pain? Whether it’s distress at witnessing animals suffering or children being abused, we feel physically and mentally connected in one way or another.

Studies show that there are specific parts of the brain responsible for this sense of connection. So, if shared pain is a real phenomenon, maybe empathy is real.

“When we witness what is happening to others, we not only activate the visual cortex as we thought several decades ago. We also activate our actions as if we were behaving in similar ways. We activate our emotions and sensations as if we felt the same way.” Psychologist Christian Keizers, Ph.D., University of Groningen, The Netherlands

Rat studies showed that shocking one rat caused other rats to freeze in shock, even though they had not received shocks. However, when the researchers pinched a part of the brain deeply within the cerebellum, their shock response to the distress of other mice decreased.

Interestingly, research shows that the fear of being traumatized is not reduced. This suggests that this area of the brain is responsible for the fear experienced by others.

7. Synesthesia touch mirror
   Synesthesia is a neurological condition that overlaps two senses. For example, someone might see colors when they hear music or associate smells with numbers.

Mirror synesthesia is a little different. People with mirror synesthesia can feel what other people are feeling. Described as a “sensation of touch on their own body,” people with this condition feel that other people’s feelings come from within. They experience them as if they were coming from themselves, not from the outside.

As with mirror neurons, empaths with mirror-touch synesthesia activate similar neural pathways as if they were performing the actions themselves.