Imagine giving someone a coat, seeing a lonely stranger at the cafeteria, watching a loved one get emotional in the presence of death, and observing friends cry from laughter at Thanksgiving dinner. Each feeling that accompanies each situation is the result of the direct relationship between individuals—empathy. Whether empathy is used to cognitively breakdown a problem or share emotions with others, the importance of empathy is that it is prevalent in nearly all human interaction. Without it, effective communities, relationships, and even society itself could never form. Now, a recent study by Sarah H. Konrath has suggested a sharp decline in empathy levels within the past three decades. With the advent of the empathy decline, two authors
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From Kenneth J. Rotenburg, he cites, “lonely people are more likely to take advantage of others’ trust to cheat them in laboratory games” (Zaki 2011, para. 7). While his personal credentials are not his strongest aspects, using cold-hard facts and reliable sources is what gives Zaki an undeniable edge in his argument. He supports Konrath’s theory that social isolation has caused the drop in empathy when he cites “Kenneth J. Rotenberg of Keele University in England,” who “has shown that lonely people are more likely to take advantage of others’ trust to cheat them in laboratory games” (Zaki para. 8). Here, Zaki follows the logic that lonely people spend more time alone and isolated from others; and that prolonged social separation—i.e. the lack of connecting to others—is the cause of empathy decline. Since empathy, like all concepts, must be practiced in order to be learned, empathy becomes abstract and even foreign without actively connecting to others. In conclusion, the evidence proves that environmental issues have a profound effect on empathy, despite the belief of empathy’s innate nature. Because arguing against research results is simply unfeasible, the evidence Jamil Zaki presents and the chain of reasoning that he derives from it creates a powerful
From Kenneth J. Rotenburg, he cites, “lonely people are more likely to take advantage of others’ trust to cheat them in laboratory games” (Zaki 2011, para. 7). While his personal credentials are not his strongest aspects, using cold-hard facts and reliable sources is what gives Zaki an undeniable edge in his argument. He supports Konrath’s theory that social isolation has caused the drop in empathy when he cites “Kenneth J. Rotenberg of Keele University in England,” who “has shown that lonely people are more likely to take advantage of others’ trust to cheat them in laboratory games” (Zaki para. 8). Here, Zaki follows the logic that lonely people spend more time alone and isolated from others; and that prolonged social separation—i.e. the lack of connecting to others—is the cause of empathy decline. Since empathy, like all concepts, must be practiced in order to be learned, empathy becomes abstract and even foreign without actively connecting to others. In conclusion, the evidence proves that environmental issues have a profound effect on empathy, despite the belief of empathy’s innate nature. Because arguing against research results is simply unfeasible, the evidence Jamil Zaki presents and the chain of reasoning that he derives from it creates a powerful