Empathy Literally Hurts

Guest: Michael Poulin, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology, University at Buffalo To really understand another’s suffering, we’re often advised to “walk a mile in their shoes,” put ourselves in their position, and ask, “How would you feel?” But there comes a point where that level of empathy can wear you down and even cause burnout, if you’re in a job that encounters a lot of suffering. So is having empathy unhealthy? Michael Poulin says it depends—there are two routes to empathy, and learning how to master one of them can help us be compassionate without the negative side-effects.