How does being empathetic make you feel? Does it come easy to you to resonate with another’s feelings? What is empathy after all? Contemporary researchers differentiate between two types of empathy.

“Affective empathy refers to the sensations and feelings we get in response to others’ emotions; this can include mirroring what that person is feeling, or just feeling stressed when we detect another’s fear or anxiety. Cognitive empathy, sometimes called “perspective taking” refers to our ability to identify and understand other peoples’ emotions,” according to this Greater Good article.

What’s in it for you?

1. You will experience the world’s many details as your perception becomes richer since you also see through the perspectives of those around you.
2. You will deal with the negativity of others in a more serene way, since you will better understand their motivations and fears.
3. You will become calmer and accept reality for what it is.
4. You will better assess and understand the needs of people around you.
5. You will start treating the people dear to you the way they wish you treat them.
6. You will learn to read through people’s lines and see also that what is unspoken.
7. You will understand more clearly the way others perceive your words and actions.
8. You will better assess your clients’ and team members’ needs.
9. You will manage interpersonal conflict, both at home and at work, in a more understanding way.
10. You will easily notice what drives people and be able to motivate them better.
11. You will find the most appropriate arguments to make so as to effectively share your point of view with others in a way that makes it comprehensible.

There are some advantages to practising empathy, aren’t there? So, if you’re willing, let go to the next step. Here is how to practise empathy.