Hi and welcome back to the savvy psychologist podcast. I'm your host

Dr Ellen Hendrickson and I'll help you meet life's challenges with evidence-based

research, a sympathetic

ear, and zero judgment. Empathy is getting a lot of press these days, but with a

culture of extreme individualism where online interactions outnumber in-person conversations,

it can be hard to cultivate an empathetic mind meld.

This week we'll talk about six ways to put more oomph in your empathy.

So the benefits of strong empathic skills are legion.

First, you'll understand the motivations and needs of people around you.

People's actions, no matter how wacky, will start. motivations and needs of people around you.

People's actions no matter how wacky will start to make sense,

such as, well duh, if that happened to me, I'd probably act like that too.

Which will in turn make you less judgey and less defensive and that will make you less stressed out.

Next you'll also be able to see how your words and actions affect others based on their sometimes very subtle reactions. You'll be able to inspire

and motivate others by tapping into what they truly value and want, which is way

healthier than threats or manipulation.

But fundamentally you want to increase your empathy because it lets you read minds.

It's not exactly telepathy, but it's the next best thing.

By listening closely to another person's words, including what they're not

saying and attending to their facial expression, tone of voice, body language, and especially

their eyes, you can figure out what they're feeling and thinking.

Speaking of feeling and thinking, there are two types of empathy. The first is affective empathy, which is feeling another person's emotions.

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