In a recent conversation with my friend, Maribel Cardez, she introduced me to the term, logical empathy.
“Well,” I thought, “at the intersection of intellect and emotion, there’s bound to be some uncertainty, if not volatility, no?”
I had to look it up, of course. It turns out logical empathy, which may also be referred to as cognitive empathy, perspective-taking, or paying attention is the ability to understand another person’s Emotions, thoughts, or perspectives without necessarily sharing their feelings. Unlike emotional empathy, which involves feeling the same emotions as another person, logical empathy is a more analytical and rational process. It focuses on perceiving and comprehending someone else’s viewpoint or emotional state through observation, reasoning, and context, rather than experiencing their emotions firsthand.
According to Verywell Mind:
Research has found that it is possible to have several types of empathy, and cognitive empathy and emotional empathy are two primary empathy types. Cognitive empathy involves knowing how other people think and feel, while emotional empathy involves feeling another person’s emotions. Think of these two types as being able to step into their minds and know what they might be thinking and feeling, and then being actually to experience those things yourself.
Logical empathy can be valuable in situations requiring problem-solving, conflict resolution, or decision-making because it enables clear-headed understanding while maintaining emotional distance and experiencing no pain. Consider:
Exhibit A
If you were building a house, and one of your co-workers shot a nail through his hand with a nail gun, logical empathy would allow you to recognize his pain and the possibility that he may need a tetanus shot without feeling any of his discomfort yourself, especially if you’re afraid of needles. It would also allow you to understand why he’s jumping up and down and swearing like a trooper without having to jump up and down or say any of those bad words yourself.
In the same circumstances, emotional empathy would compel you to shoot a nail through your own hand so you could feel your co-worker’s pain, jump up and down with him, say a lot of bad words, and risk getting your mouth washed out with soap. Sharing those experiences, including going to the hospital and getting tetanus shots together, can be a way of bonding, building camaraderie, and establishing personal and professional rapport with others.
Exhibit B
If you were skydiving, and your friend jumped out of the plane before you did and his parachute didn’t open, logical empathy would allow you to recognize his initial alarm and his subsequent realization that he’s about to be pancaked without feeling any of that stuff yourself. It would also allow you to understand why he’s screaming primally, even as he’s praying as fast as he can, without your having to do those things, too.
In the same circumstance, emotional empathy would compel you to take off your parachute and jump out of the plane so you could feel your buddy’s terror, scream, and pray right along with him. Sharing that experience can be a good way of manifesting the notion that misery loves company.
The Moral of the Story
Given the choice, it appears to be much healthier and less painful to choose logical empathy over cognitive empathy. On the other hand, if you have a masochistic itch that’s in constant need of scratching, cognitive empathy might be your cup of tea.
Either way, put down the nail guns and the parachutes.
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Originally Published on https://www.bizcatalyst360.com/category/lifecolumns/notes-to-self/
