{{Short description|Concept in popular psychology}} {{About|the descriptor for someone with high empathy|the comic book character|Empath (character)|other uses}} {{Paranormal|para}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
In psychology, '''empaths''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɛ|m|p|æ|θ}}; {{etymology|grc|''{{Wikt-lang|grc|ἐμπάθ}}(εια)'' ({{grc-transl|ἐμπάθ(εια)}})|passion}}) are people who have a higher than usual level of empathy, called '''hyperempathy'''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Sandra L. |date=2012-03-11 |title=Genetic and Neuro-Physiological Basis for Hyper-Empathy |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/pathological-relationships/201203/genetic-and-neuro-physiological-basis-hyper-empathy-0 |access-date=2023-01-14 |website=Psychology Today |language=en-US}}</ref> While objective empathy level testing is difficult, tests such as the EQ-8 have gained some acceptance as tests for being empathic.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lawrence |first1=E. J. |last2=Shaw |first2=P. |last3=Baker |first3=D. |last4=Baron-Cohen |first4=S. |last5=David |first5=A. S. |date=July 2004 |title=Measuring empathy: reliability and validity of the Empathy Quotient |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0033291703001624/type/journal_article |journal=Psychological Medicine |language=en |volume=34 |issue=5 |pages=911–920 |doi=10.1017/S0033291703001624 |pmid=15500311 |s2cid=16347489 |issn=0033-2917|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Loewen |first1=Peter John |last2=Lyle |first2=Greg |last3=Nachshen |first3=Jennifer S. |date=2009 |title=An eight-item form of the Empathy Quotient (EQ) and an application to charitable giving |url=http://individual.utoronto.ca/loewen/Research_files/Eight%20Question%20ES_final.pdf |journal=University of Toronto Department of Political Science Working Papers |access-date=2023-01-14}}</ref> '''Highly sensitive person''' is also often synonymous,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Arabi |first=Shahida |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1145077770 |title=The highly sensitive person's guide to dealing with toxic people : how to reclaim your power from narcissists and other manipulators |date=2020 |isbn=978-1-68403-532-8 |location=Oakland, CA |oclc=1145077770}}</ref> but is used to describe sensory processing sensitivity as well.
The term ''empath'' is sometimes used in a broader sense to describe someone who is more adept at understanding, i.e. is more sensitive to the feelings of others than the average person; or as a descriptor for someone who is higher on an empathetic "spectrum" of sorts.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Thomson |first=Helen |date=2010-03-10 |title=We feel your pain: Extreme empaths |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527511-700-we-feel-your-pain-extreme-empaths/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114140438/https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527511-700-we-feel-your-pain-extreme-empaths/ |archive-date=14 January 2023 |access-date=2023-01-14 |website=New Scientist |language=en-US |doi=10.1016/s0262-4079(11)61228-1 |issn=0262-4079 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
The term also refers to a concept in parapsychology, where the mechanism for being an empath is said to be psychic channeling; psychics and mediums say that they channel the emotional states and experiences of other living beings, or the spirits of dead people, in the form of "emotional resonance". Studies of such claims have found them to be the result of mundane empathy and charisma, with no actual supernatural capabilities involved.<ref name=Donovan />
== Neurology == [[File:Mirror neurons.png|thumb|An artistic interpretation of mirror neurons, the overactivity of which is a possible explanation for hyperempathy, active in two human brains]]
Neuroscientists have found evidence to suggest that some people have greater or lesser ability to share and feel the emotions of others.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Winerman |first=Lea |date=2005 |title=The mind's mirror |url=http://apa.org/monitor/oct05/mirror.aspx |access-date=2023-01-14 |website=American Psychological Association |doi=10.1037/e418612005-033|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Banissy |first1=Michael J. |last2=Ward |first2=Jamie |date=July 2007 |title=Mirror-touch synesthesia is linked with empathy |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/nn1926 |journal=Nature Neuroscience |language=en |volume=10 |issue=7 |pages=815–816 |doi=10.1038/nn1926 |issn=1546-1726 |pmid=17572672|s2cid=1345360 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Mirror neurons are neurons that fire both when an animal acts and when the animal observes the same action performed by another. Interfering with the level of activation of mirror neurons via transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been experimentally studied.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Armstrong |first=Kim |date=2017-12-29 |title='I Feel Your Pain': The Neuroscience of Empathy |url=https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/neuroscience-empathy |journal=Association for Psychological Science Observer |language=en-US |volume=31 |access-date=2023-01-14}}</ref>
==Other concepts==
===Dark empath===
A ''dark empath'' is a proposed term for a person who has elevated antagonistic or "dark" personality traits and is able to imagine and understand other people's mental state and emotions. They may use that skill to manipulate others and further their own goals. The concept was first proposed by Nadja Heym,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Frankel |first1=Miriam |title=How to spot 'dark empaths', the dangerous psychopaths and narcissists who feel empathy |url=https://www.sciencefocus.com/wellbeing/dark-empath |website=BBC Science Focus Magazine |access-date=22 August 2025 |language=en |date=23 November 2024}}</ref> and is related to the so-called dark triad traits.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Robson |first1=David |title=What characterises a dark empath? The science behind the buzzword |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26735520-800-what-characterises-a-dark-empath-the-science-behind-the-buzzword/ |website=New Scientist |access-date=22 August 2025}}</ref> <ref name="GuardianNarcissists">{{cite web |last1=Chaudhuri |first1=Anita |title='Narcissists – only more devious': the truth about dark empaths |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/nov/10/narcissists-only-more-devious-the-truth-about-dark-empaths |website=The Guardian |access-date=20 June 2025 |date=10 November 2024}}</ref> The concept differs from "affective empathy", when one person can feel what another person is feeling. Nadja Heym and colleagues use the term to describe individuals who appear to have elevated empathic capacities alongside their callous, manipulative and antagonistic nature. In their study, which included 991 participants, the researchers identified four key personality groups or profiles: traditional Dark Triad (DT) individuals, who have high dark traits and low empathy; Dark Empaths, who share high dark traits but also have high empathy; Empaths, who have high empathy and low dark traits; and Typicals, who have average empathy and low dark traits. Overall, the study suggests that Dark Empaths are a distinct group with a mix of positive and negative traits, showing that high empathy does not necessarily make someone less capable of having dark, manipulative and aggressive tendencies.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Heym |first1=Nadja |last2=Kibowski |first2=Fraenze |last3=A. J. Bloxsom |first3=Claire |last4=Blanchard |first4=Alyson |last5=Harper |first5=Alexandra |last6=Wallace |first6=Louise |last7=Firth |first7=Jennifer |last8=Sumich |first8=Alexander |title=The Dark Empath: Characterising dark traits in the presence of empathy |journal=Personality and Individual Differences |url=https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/40458/1/1351426_Heym.pdf |access-date=20 June 2025}}</ref>
Adler University professor Jason Walker describes dark empaths as able to charm others but that they see relationships as transactional; they are able to understand the hopes and dreams of others, but will use that information for personal gain or to withhold support in crucial moments. Walker states that they will guilt-trip others and act passive-aggressively, and that dark empaths can adopt multiple roles in a relationship, adjusting their behavior to benefit themselves, thus displaying inconsistency in character.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Walker |first1=Jason |title=The Dark Empath: The Hidden Danger Behind Emotional Intelligence |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonwalker/2024/11/18/the-dark-empath-a-wolf-in-empaths-clothing/ |website=Forbes |access-date=20 June 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
== Paranormal usage== The term's paranormal usage flows mostly from the work of American psychiatrist Judith Orloff. Orloff uses the term to describe people who have an innate ability to read the emotional state of others. She believes that empaths are able to sense the thoughts, feelings and energy of those around them, and that they are able to use this ability to provide healing or comfort to others, if they manage their condition correctly.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Orloff |first=Judith |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/953599191 |title=The empath's survival guide : life strategies for sensitive people |date=2017 |publisher=Sounds True |isbn=978-1-62203-657-8 |location=Boulder, Co. |oclc=953599191 |author-link=Judith Orloff}}</ref> Orloff's work is controversial, as she says that she is a clairvoyant (psychic);<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Psychic Medicine |last=Orloff |first=Judith |author-link1=Judith Orloff |last2=Toms |first2=Michael |url=https://programs.newdimensions.org/products/psychic-medicine-with-judith-orloff |date=1996-10-29 |series=New Dimensions Radio |number=2600 |language=en |quote=I had my first psychic experience when I was nine years old, when I had a visitation from my grandfather.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Miller |first1=Kenneth |last2=Benson |first2=Harry |date=June 1998 |title=Psychics: Science or Seance? A Reporter Visits the Twilight Zone |volume=21 |magazine=Life |issue=7 |url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=634706&lang=en-gb&site=eds-live&scope=site |access-date=2023-02-21 |via=EBSCOHost}}</ref> her definition and classification of types of empaths is neither recognized by mainstream psychiatry nor is it included in the ''{{abbr|DSM-5|Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition}}''. For her part, Orloff believes her psychiatric colleagues to be "stuck in the Dark Ages".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mason |first=Russ |date=February 2005 |title=The Energy Psychiatry of Judith Orloff, M.D. |url=https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/act.2005.11.32 |journal=Alternative and Complementary Therapies |publisher=Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. |volume=2005 |issue=11 |pages=32–36 |doi=10.1089/act.2005.11.32 |quote='''RM:''' Is allopathic medicine, particularly psychiatry, really stuck in the Dark Ages? '''JO:''' Yes.|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
Two studies focused on such claims of telepathy have found them to be the result of mundane empathy and charisma, not supernatural capabilities.<ref name=Donovan>{{Cite journal |last=Donovan |first=James M. |date=August 1998 |title=Reinterpreting Telepathy as Unusual Experiences of Empathy and Charisma |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2466/pms.1998.87.1.131 |journal=Perceptual and Motor Skills |volume=87 |issue=1 |pages=131–146 |doi=10.2466/pms.1998.87.1.131 |pmid=9760638 |s2cid=6173490 |issn=0031-5125}}</ref>
== In popular culture == Online, self-describing empaths are sometimes mocked for using the moniker. Shane Dawson was mocked for using the term to describe himself after a poorly-received apology YouTube video in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Chloe |date=2022-02-23 |title=Huge numbers of TikTokers are identifying as 'an empath,' spawning a new meme that mocks the trend |url=https://www.insider.com/me-an-empath-tiktok-meme-what-it-means-and-how-it-started-2022-2 |access-date=2023-01-14 |website=Insider |language=en-US}}</ref>
Empaths have also featured in various works of fiction, such as the Marvel Comics character Empath<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mysogland |first=Gregory |date=2020-10-26 |title=The X-Men's Greatest Monster Has Been Hiding in Plain Sight |url=https://www.cbr.com/hellions-empath-x-men-monster/ |access-date=2023-01-18 |website=CBR |language=en}}</ref> Forest Whitaker's character Dan Smithson in Species (film) (1995) and the ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' character Deanna Troi.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chin |first=Vivian Fumiko |title=Set Phasers to Teach! |editor-last=Rabitsch |editor-first=S. |location=Springer, Cham |pages=137–147 |chapter=To Seek Out New Forms of Knowledge: Viewing Star Trek as an Introduction to Cognitive Science and Ways of Thinking About Narrative, Theory of Mind, and Difference |year=2018 |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-73776-8_13 |isbn=978-3-319-73775-1 |editor-last2=Gabriel |editor-first2=M. |editor-last3=Elmenreich |editor-first3=W. |editor-last4=Brown |editor-first4=J.}}</ref> The concept is further explored in ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', Season 3, Episode 12, titled The Empath.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 6, 2022 |title=Empaths Can Be Jerks Like Anyone Else |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/am-i-right/202209/empaths-can-be-jerks-like-anyone-else?amp |website=Psychology Today}}</ref>
== See also ==
* Artificial empathy * Empathy-altruism * Empathy gap * Mirror-touch synesthesia * Pathological altruism
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== References == {{Reflist|30em}}
Category:Empathy Category:Paranormal terminology Category:Parapsychology Category:Perception Category:Psychological theories Category:Synchronicity