40 Examples Of People Who Are Total Jerks (New Pics)

Humans are inherently social animals, so you can’t help but wonder where the root of this evil behavior is. Well, some scientists believe that lack of empathy might be to blame. Simon Baron-Cohen, professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Cambridge, believes that empathy determines how we interact with others. He explains: “Empathy is our ability to identify what someone else is thinking or feeling, and to respond to their thoughts and feelings with an appropriate emotion.” Those who lack this ability see others as mere objects, and as a result, don’t feel for them.

Some people confuse empathy with sympathy when, in reality, those are two very different things. Psychology Today defines sympathy as “understanding another person's situation but viewed through your own lens. That is, it's based on your version of what the other person is dealing with.” That’s how some people experience love—they sense their own affectionate feelings rather than the reality with another person.

Meanwhile, empathy requires to step outside and put yourself in the shoes of another person. “There, without abandoning or losing your own perspective, you can experience the other's emotions, conflicts, or aspirations from within the vantage point of that person's world.” This is precisely the connection that builds healthy mutual relationships among humans.