You 2.0: The Empathy Gym

Stories about unlikely heroes have captivated people for thousands of years. This week, social scientist Ben Rogers explores why the "hero's journey" resonates so deeply, and how the stories we tell about our own lives can shape our sense of purpose. He explains why seeing oursel ... Show More

Pain feels like a simple message from the body. If your elbow hurts, there must be something wrong with your elbow. If your back is painfully stiff, you need some work done on your back. But psychologist Rachel Zoffness says our minds play a much larger role in our experience of ... Show More

As we move through the world, it's easy to imagine we're processing everything that happens around us and then deciding how to respond. But psychologist and neuroscientist Norman Farb says our brains actually navigate the world by coming up with mental maps. These maps act like a ... Show More

<p>Kindness and empathy are loaded propositions right now. When you hear those words, you might think: Eh, those are soft skills that won't help me get ahead. Or: If I'm too nice, I will get trampled. Or: I need my anger to be effective. Or: I am plenty nice -- it's other people ... Show More

<p>Join me on the podcast this week as I explain my stance on empathy, why it might not work exactly the way you think it does, but also why it's wonderful and an amazing part of being a human being. Some people might find this a touchy subject, but take a listen before you make ... Show More

On this week's episode we are talking about empathy. Empathy is something that is extremely important in today's society and not everyone knows that it is actually a skill that can be taught. Take a listen to find out why empathy is so important, where it originates from and how ... Show More

<p>Empathy can often be confused with sympathy and regular old compassion. But it's not exactly either one of those. Some say a lack of empathy can indicate sociopathic tendencies, but that's not always true either. So what is empathy and what makes someone prone to empathize? Li ... Show More

Jamil Zaki (The War for Kindness) is a professor of psychology at Stanford University and the director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab. Jamil joins the Armchair Expert to discuss all things empathy: why he was drawn to the topic, the roadblocks of it, the erosion of empat ... Show More

You may think you know yourself, but humans have a striking inability to predict their own behavior in differing emotional states. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the hot-cold empathy gap.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Ever notice how the world feels a bit like a recipe gone wrong - all the ingredients are there, but something essential is missing? In this episode, we explore how empathy might be that missing ingredient in everything from neighborhood disputes to global conflicts. Discover prac ... Show More

It’s an age-old question - are people innately good or bad? Watching the news and constantly consuming social media, many of us are cynical about human nature. Psychologist Jamil Zaki suggests that we may be being fooled, that empathy is all around us - we just have to pay a litt ... Show More