Defining Empathy

Empathy is the capacity to understand another person’s experience, but in science it is not a single skill or feeling. In this lesson, students learn how researchers define empathy, how it differs from sympathy, compassion, and emotional contagion, and why the definition matters for studying behavior, the brain, and relationships. The goal is to build a precise foundation before moving into the biology and mechanisms of empathy in later lessons.

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to identify the main components of empathy, recognize common misunderstandings, and explain why empathy can look different across situations, people, and cultures.