Empathy vs sympathy: they sound alike but they are quite different.
We feel sympathy for someone and, in contrast, we feel empathy with someone, that’s the difference between empathy vs sympathy.
Feeling sympathy for someone implies a certain distance. It’s more like feeling pity for someone. They are feeling something that you are not. They are struggling, and you are not.
When you empathize with someone, you feel what they are feeling. So rather than distancing, it is bonding. Empathy is a shared experience, where you both feel the same way. It leads to a deeper understanding of someone to feel what it is like to be them, as fully as you can.
Being understood and sharing feelings is a deep human need. Empathy creates a sense of belonging and connection that is necessary to our very survival. In fact, former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, has found lonliness to have health outcomes equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.
Put simply, we need empathy to bond us together in a community or family. True empathy leads to healing, kindness, and gratitude.
This post is part of my Gratitude Project 2025: The Magic of Empathy — a 30-day exploration of empathy and gratitude. Visit the hub to follow along or catch up on past reflections.
If you’d like to explore the science behind gratitude, visit the Greater Good Science Center’s Gratitude Resources.
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