Putting oneself in the other person’s shoes is a clear definition of empathy.. This ability to be empathetic is an aspect that can be developed, like any other social skill, but in the same way it can be practically nullified if it is not properly fostered, especially in children.
And it has many advantages to be an empathetic person.. For this reason, it is important to understand what empathy means, and to develop it continuously and in all areas of our lives, in order to live it naturally and spontaneously.
- Related article: “Empathy: meaning and characteristics of this social skill”.
Being an empathetic person will bring you many advantages for your life.
Since childhood, the human being has traits of empathy. However, it is a virtue that should be encouraged and lived consciously especially in adult life. This is because, at the same time, children will develop empathy through the example of their parents.
Having the ability to understand another’s situation, feelings, circumstances and actions is what defines empathy. Being an empathetic person puts you at an advantage over people who are not, Here are the reasons why empathy is an attitude that should be developed..
- You may be interested in: “The 16 different personality types and their description”.
1. Knowing how to listen
Empathic people know how to listen beyond words.. That is, they have the ability to understand the emotions and concerns of their interlocutor during a conversation.
This characteristic, known in the world of psychology as ‘active listening’, has many benefits in personal and work life by having the ability to understand the contexts and concerns of each person. In addition, the skill of active listening makes us be perceived as attentive and deep people, who genuinely value the interlocutor.
2. Leadership skills
Being an empathetic person is a quality that helps to develop leadership.. As people who are able to connect with others, they have the advantage of generating loyalty in others and thanks to this they can manage groups more effectively.
Whether to develop this skill at work, or socially, this becomes a great advantage of empathic people, who tend to be democratic leaders in their spheres of influence.
3. Objectivity
Objectivity is one of the advantages developed in empathetic people.. This is because they have the openness to listen to all people, and although they manage to understand their reasons and motivations, they also have as a reference the point of view of other people. This helps to foster critical and objective thinking.
4. Respect
Empathetic people tend to be very respectful.. Over time, along with empathy, they develop a deep and genuine respect for people, their situations and their problems. This, in turn, makes them people who inspire respect in others. In this way, their work and personal relationships are kept free of unnecessary conflict.
5. Problem Solving
When people are good listeners, they have tools for conflict resolution.. This is an advantage of empathetic people, especially in the workplace. When people are able to understand the problems and circumstances of others, it is easier for them to find solutions that benefit everyone.
6. Strong personal relationships
Empathetic people have an easy time maintaining friendships and relationships in general.. This is an advantage in the personal aspect. They tend to have very lasting friendships and in their couple relationships it is easy to quickly build a strong bond, because the other person feels understood and welcomed without judgment.
7. Diplomacy
An advantage of empathic people is that they know how to be diplomatic in delivering bad news.. It is easier for them to find the right ways and words to give unpleasant or difficult messages. Having the ability to understand what hurts people, they find ways to say what needs to be said, minimizing the negative impact.
8. They understand non-verbal communication
Empathy allows them to understand the other person’s reasons, not just through words.. That is, the ability to understand people comes not only from the willingness that empathic people have to listen, their empathy allows them to perceive and interpret the verbal communication of other individuals, and thanks to this reach a greater understanding.
9. Emotional attunement
Emotional attunement is an advantage easily developed by empathic people.. Being able to connect with people on an emotional level is a very helpful quality in the work and personal world. Having the ability to understand people allows you to connect emotionally and thus achieve a close relationship for the benefit of both parties.
10. Social awareness
When a person is empathetic, social issues are also usually of interest to him/her.. Beyond their own environment, they have the ability to observe, understand and care about the situations experienced by other sectors of society. For this reason, they are usually involved in social, ecological or animal care causes.
11. Ease in detecting fraud and deception
A great advantage of empathic people is that they are perceptive to lies.. Having developed the ability to understand people without necessarily getting emotionally involved also allows them to perceive more easily when someone is not being honest or is hiding information.
12. Healthy working relationships
In the workplace, being empathetic has many advantages. Personal relationships have a tendency to become conflictive, especially in such a competitive environment as a company in our times.
However, an empathetic attitude always makes these situations more bearable. For this reason, empathic people usually have better working relationships, because before entering or generating conflict they understand the reasons of others.
13. They develop emotional intelligence
Empathy allows the development of emotional intelligence. A correct management of emotions begins with empathy. Understanding the range of emotions and reactions provoked in people is a characteristic of empathic people, from that trait is much easier to achieve a high emotional intelligence.
- Read this article by psychologist Bertrand Regader: “What is emotional intelligence?”
14. They are authentic people
Empathic people are not only empathic with others, but also with themselves.. For this reason it is said that they are honest and authentic people, because they do not lie to themselves. They have the ability to understand their own needs, and in general terms they look for ways to satisfy them, but at the same time without hurting others.
15. They make others feel good
They feel listened to and understood, make people feel good.. This is an advantage that empathic people have in their personal relationships. If, in addition, their profession is related to dealing directly with people, this undoubtedly becomes a work advantage.