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1/6 I'm happy (and perhaps inappropriately proud of @w_mcauliffe) that this meta-analytic project on perspective-taking and empathy is finally out. It had some eye-opening conclusions that empathy researchers will want to deal with going forward. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1088868319887599?journalCode=psra&journalCode=psra
2/6 Since 1969, scientists have believed, along with the public, that we can raise our empathy for others' suffering by trying to take their perspective (e.g., walk a mile in their shoes, imagine the shoe on the other foot--lots of shoes involved, really). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1088868319887599?journalCode=psra&journalCode=psra
3/6 Scientists also often use "remain objective" instructions to try & reduce empathy. A control group receiving no instructions at all is also important. Without it, we can't know whether PT instructions raise empathy, or remain obj instructions lower it. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1088868319887599?journalCode=psra&journalCode=psra
4/6 For this project, we retrieved every single experiment that tested whether perspective-taking instructions raise empathy & whether remain objective instructions lower it. 99.9% of the time, researchers measure empathy w/ self-report. How else, really? https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1088868319887599?journalCode=psra&journalCode=psra
5/6 Main findings: (1) Perspective-taking instructions don't increase empathy for needy strangers beyond what we experience w/o instructions. (2) Remain-objective instructions do lower it. (3) Effects aren't much different for men than women or for in-group vs. out-group targets.
6/6 There's a glass half-empty & glass-half full interpretation. GHE: we can't increase empathy in the lab as easily as we've thought for 50 yrs. We can reduce it, tho.
GHF: people walk around empathizing with needy others as if they're already trying to imagine their sorrow.
GHF: people walk around empathizing with needy others as if they're already trying to imagine their sorrow.
