Empathy vs Studying: how are they connected?

Is there any connection between studying and empathy? What is the impact empathy has on studying process?

18:14 02 March 2019

Does empathy always work at studying?

Studying in college or university is always tough and calls for the lack of emotion, contribution to the economy and sheer impartial analysis of the facts before making any decisions. Scientists made a discovery decades ago that animals that receive more care from their parents are less likely to succeed in their survival than those, who are left on their own. This experiment was transferred to the sphere of learning, and most of the professors and teachers tend to bring up their students in the atmosphere of modesty, strictness and emotionless decisions. However, this is not proven to be the best way of treating young minds. There is an opposite side of this issue that proves empathy to be a very efficient factor in the academic progress. This is why we decided to describe the other side of the coin.

Socialization

Any socialization is just impossible without empathy. Most of the people, who do not want to show their feelings or do not want to be perceived as weak try to close themselves from the society and concentrate only on goals setting and reaching the results. Such an attitude may influence the academic performance of the individuals, especially when it comes to the group works and collective assignments. This is why empathy can help students socialize, avoid depression and progress in their studies by collaborating with others.

Open-mindedness

When learning students grasp many ideas and try to find new ways to discover new theories, people with a lack of empathy are proven to be less open-minded when it comes to the perception of something new. They are more conservative and creative, which is not good in the academic sphere. To become more progressive one should train his/her brain and even recognize someone`s ideas that may contradict with their own belief system.

Cognitive and personal flexibility

Students with a high level of empathy may fit almost every group and can be flexible to the changing circumstances. Their behaviour is more adaptive, and this might be a good feature for the future employees. Graduates with high empathy level can easily find a job in any team, they are always treated well at work, and they easily pass interviews and plus resume reviews. Cognitive thinking helps to put you in someone shoes and understand the role from the inner side which may reflect in good academic writings and success in college.

No superficial problem examination

Empathy helps to solve problems in the creative and even intuitive way, which is not based only on the gutter feeling, but also on the rigid facts check and desire to understand the core of the problem.

If you have a lack of empathy, there are several ways you can train it in yourself. You can practice role-playing by taking the role of another person, or you can develop your emotional literacy by attending various courses or simply begin to trust people and be more open. When it comes to emotions – be yourself and be more open.