There are a lot of rumors and speculations about empathy. Some consider it something like extrasensory perception, others compare empathy with empathy for loved ones. In the meantime, the truth lies somewhere in between.
Empathy is an understanding of the mental and emotional state of another person, that is, the ability to perceive the feelings of the interlocutor, while realizing that these are emotions of another person. If a person perceives partner’s emotions as his own, then this is no longer called empathy, but identification with the interlocutor.
There is a theory according to which mirror neurons discovered in 1990 by a group of Italian scientists are responsible for empathy, but this hypothesis has not been fully studied. It is noteworthy that initially mirror neurons were found in the frontal cortex of monkeys.
Empathy is more than reading the mood of the interlocutor by his gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice. In order to master a similar method of reading the emotions of the interlocutor, you just need to read a competently written book about sign language. And still, you will not be able to accurately understand the degree of despair, joy, or excitement of your interlocutor.
Psychologists do not consider empathy something outstanding. They even developed techniques to identify the level of empathy and its gradation. Thus, the level of empathy can range from a low - light emotional response, to high - complete immersion in the thoughts and feelings of a partner. To build deep sensual relationships, empathy is a must! The partner should not only regret and sympathize, he must understand what his other half is experiencing. It is then that real closeness appears.
In science fiction books, there is another type of empathy - when loved ones can feel each other's emotions at a distance. Such empathy is akin to extrasensory perception. In reality, such forms of empathy have not been confirmed, nor have they been refuted. During the experiment, people who showed good results, when they repeated the experiment, could no longer repeat the previous result.
