36 min listen
CM 149: Jamil Zaki on the Science of Empathy – Rebroadcast
CM 149: Jamil Zaki on the Science of Empathy – Rebroadcast
ratings:
Length:
56 minutes
Released:
Nov 25, 2019
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
In a world where empathy is in decline, how can we learn to care more?
If you sense we're less empathetic today than decades past, you're right. Studies show there's been a 48 percent decline in empathy between 1979 and 2009. Though human beings are wired to care about each other, we need the right conditions for those feelings to grow.
Jamil Zaki, author of the book, The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World, argues that a shift to online interactions and urban living has made relationships more "narrow, transactional, and anonymous." He explains that in this kind of environment, it's "really not great soil for empathy to grow."
But there is hope. Jamil's research reveals that empathy is a skill we can develop through training and that this training can leave us feeling not only more empathetic, but also kinder. Dedicated practice can also change the brain. Jamil shares that it can grow "parts of the brain...associated with the experience of empathy."
Jamil Zaki is Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and Director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic.
The Host
You can learn more about Curious Minds' Host and Creator, Gayle Allen, and Producer and Editor, Rob Mancabelli, by clicking here.
Episode Links
@zakijam
The Influential Mind by Tali Sharot
Carol Dweck
Tania Singer
London taxi drivers and brain science
Gordon Allport
Contact hypothesis
Emile Bruneau
Nicholas Epley
When Cops Choose Empathy by Jamil Zaki
Jason A. Okonofua
Elizabeth Levy Paluck
Jeremy Bailenson
Eve Ekman
Kari Leibowitz
Three Ways to Support the Podcast
First, subscribe so you'll never miss an episode. Second, tell a friend or family member. You'll always have someone to talk to about the interview. Third, rate and review the show wherever you subscribe. You'll be helping listeners find their next podcast.
Look for Curious Minds on:
Spotify
iTunes
Tunein
Stitcher
Google Play
Overcast
If you sense we're less empathetic today than decades past, you're right. Studies show there's been a 48 percent decline in empathy between 1979 and 2009. Though human beings are wired to care about each other, we need the right conditions for those feelings to grow.
Jamil Zaki, author of the book, The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World, argues that a shift to online interactions and urban living has made relationships more "narrow, transactional, and anonymous." He explains that in this kind of environment, it's "really not great soil for empathy to grow."
But there is hope. Jamil's research reveals that empathy is a skill we can develop through training and that this training can leave us feeling not only more empathetic, but also kinder. Dedicated practice can also change the brain. Jamil shares that it can grow "parts of the brain...associated with the experience of empathy."
Jamil Zaki is Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and Director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic.
The Host
You can learn more about Curious Minds' Host and Creator, Gayle Allen, and Producer and Editor, Rob Mancabelli, by clicking here.
Episode Links
@zakijam
The Influential Mind by Tali Sharot
Carol Dweck
Tania Singer
London taxi drivers and brain science
Gordon Allport
Contact hypothesis
Emile Bruneau
Nicholas Epley
When Cops Choose Empathy by Jamil Zaki
Jason A. Okonofua
Elizabeth Levy Paluck
Jeremy Bailenson
Eve Ekman
Kari Leibowitz
Three Ways to Support the Podcast
First, subscribe so you'll never miss an episode. Second, tell a friend or family member. You'll always have someone to talk to about the interview. Third, rate and review the show wherever you subscribe. You'll be helping listeners find their next podcast.
Look for Curious Minds on:
Spotify
iTunes
Tunein
Stitcher
Google Play
Overcast
Released:
Nov 25, 2019
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
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