"Empathy is feeling what someone else feels-putting yourself in that other person's position and feeling what they feel. Empathy can be the first step to compassion; being motivated to do something about what the other person is feeling, to help that person with their troubles. You can think of empathy as a trigger for compassion."
"In 2025, the Muhammad Ali Center published a report on compassion in the United States that revealed that 61 percent of the more than 5,000 people surveyed between 2020 and 2024 said they perceived a decline in compassion in America (the Muhammad Ali Center, 2025). The majority of us apparently see wider gulfs and taller walls between groups in our world."
A 2025 Muhammad Ali Center report found 61 percent of more than 5,000 respondents between 2020 and 2024 perceived a decline in compassion in the United States. Empathy means feeling what someone else feels by putting oneself in their position and can trigger compassion, the motivation to help with another's troubles. Compassion is the motivational response to alleviate others' suffering, and empathy often precedes but does not always lead to compassion. Empathy and compassion are essential for forming and maintaining social relationships. Levels vary with gender, age, and political preference. Familiarity, perceived importance, learned helping behaviors, and practices such as Compassion Meditation influence and can cultivate both empathy and compassion.
Read at Psychology Today
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