While we might hope that empathy would fuel tolerance, that’s not what this study found. The researchers also ran experiments to measure how empathic concern affects partisan bias in situations like wanting to censor a speaker from the opposite political side.Įlizabeth Simas, associate professor at the University of Houston. First, they used survey data gathered in 2016 to see how individuals with greater empathic concern would feel toward partisans on the other side, using measures of social distance, such as how upset they would feel if a family member married a member of the opposite party. In late 2019, a group of researchers set out to test the impact of empathy on polarization between Democrats and Republicans.
We often think about emotional empathy as being able to feel someone else’s emotions, whether it’s the pain of a friend or the joy of a family member. Perspective taking is not precisely the same thing as empathy-and if you’re trying to build bridges between different groups, it’s important to understand the difference. What they’re finding could help more Americans negotiate their differences. Bruneau and other researchers are studying perspective taking and perspective giving in domestic and international contexts. When a perspective has been marginalized by the larger society, says Beyond Conflict Innovation Lab lead scientist Emile Bruneau, it’s important to allow that one to come forward first-and for members of the dominant group to then try to take it in before giving their own. Together, they’re powerful tools for bridging our differences, particularly between groups that may not have an equal power dynamic. Join us to bridge differences in your work, community, and life.
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