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What is Storytelling ?

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The art of storytelling | Pixar in a Box | Partner content | Khan Academy

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How does it affect us ?

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Read any good books lately? How about a compelling TV drama or movie? We all like a good story, and good stories can affect us in significant ways.

As a result, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has been researching how storytelling affects you, me and other people around the world.

Throughout human history we have been telling and listening to stories. Ancient humans sat around the nighttime campfire and shared tales with the clan and tribe. Oral histories were passed on to the next generations, often in story form. And, of course, human societies and cultures used the written word to tell their stories.

Based on this, researchers at DARPA indicate that we may be somewhat hard-wired to respond to such narrative stories. A DARPA project called "Narrative Networks" explores the neurobiology of listening to stories and how attitudes and behaviors can change as a result.

A story may cause us to look at something in a new way and change our views about people, life and the world around us. Storytelling can change our behavior, for the better or worse. The human tradition of storytelling has significantly influenced individuals, groups and societies, according to DARPA researchers.
POWERFUL INFLUENCE
On the DARPA website, the Narrative Networks research page says, "DARPA launched the Narrative Networks program to understand how narratives influence human cognition and behavior, and apply those findings in international security contexts."

The DARPA Narrative Networks webpage asks, "Why do people accept and act on certain kinds of information while dismissing others?" Answers to this and other questions "have strategic implications for defense missions," the DARPA statement claims.

An article on the Live Science website about the project referenced DARPA language during the start-up of the program: "Narratives exert a powerful influence on human thoughts and behavior. They consolidate memory, shape emotions, cue heuristics and biases in judgment, influence in-group/out-group distinctions, and may affect the fundamental contents of personal identity."

The Live Science article also noted, "Despite the functional goal, the early parts of this program seem more like a literature class at a liberal arts school than a secretive military operation."

Wired also covered the program and reported in an article, "Another reason the Pentagon would want to spend time upping its sensitivity quotient is because of an ongoing effort on its part to understand the 'human terrain' of the battlefields in which they fight."

An Information Week article on the program noted, "The agency [DARPA] said that because of these influences, narratives play an important role in the context of security during military and intelligence engagements."

In addition, DARPA researchers say that understanding how storytelling affects human neurobiology may lead to insights about helping people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
MEANINGFUL OR MANIPULATIVE
Storytelling has also been put forth by marketing people as a method in advertising, brand identity and customer/consumer acquisition and loyalty.

An article in today's New York Times said, "It's been called a strategic tool with 'irresistible power' by Harvard Business Review and 'the major business lesson of 2014' by Entrepreneur magazine. What exciting new 21st-century technology is this? The age-old art of storytelling - something humans have done since they could first communicate."

"Learning - or relearning - how to tell stories requires some skill. And consultants are lining up to teach it - sometimes for a hefty fee," the Times article stated.

The DARPA project on storytelling is part of a much larger recognition that stories seem to affect people on deep levels that we may not fully understand. There are indications that human neurobiology and neurochemistry may play a role. Chemicals in our brains and bodies may be released when we are exposed to a story that resonates.

Today, stories are told via many kinds of open-source media platforms and devices. TV, movies, digital, print and other media all serve as types of open-source intelligence for people around the world.

And there are many kinds of stories to hear.

Which ones click? What stories use "positive psychology" and resonate as truthful and meaningful, while others are recognized as false and manipulative? What storytelling lifts us up, or brings out the worst in us. What narratives take us to a better world, or into darkness?

The DARPA study may find some answers.
Hammons is the author of the novel "Mission Into Light" and the sequel "Light's Hand." The novels follow the adventures and discoveries of members of a small, San Diego-based U.S. defense/intelligence research and operations team, the Joint Reconnaissance Study Group, as they explore fascinating mysteries affecting the human race and planet Earth.

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Storytelling affects human biology, beliefs, behavior

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Read any good books lately? How about a compelling TV drama or movie? We all like a good story, and good stories can affect us in significant ways. As a result, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has been researching how storytelling affects you, me and other people around the world.

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Tell someone else's story

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What's your story?

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Everyone has a story

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"If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story." - Orson Welles

Everyone has a story. But not everyone tells their story.

And we don't always ask.

Sharing the stories that shaped your life doesn't make you weak. It makes you human.

When we share stories of the defining moments in our lives, we connect at a deeper level, beyond roles and goals.

In The Heart-Led Leader: How Living and Leading from the Heart Will Change Your Organization and Your Life, Tommy Spaulding shares how everyone has a story and how vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness.

It's OK To Be Open, Candid, and Vulnerable

Jodi had high ambitions. While she achieved her dreams, it was not without extreme challenges, pain, and setbacks along the way.

In the process of sharing her stories, Jodi learned that it's OK to be human.

Via The Heart-Led Leader:
"In her speech, Jodi had two messages to give the students at the National Leadership Academy. One was that people are defined by 'how they respond to adverse circumstances.' The other was that it's OK to be open, candid, and vulnerable with others. 'I had always felt that you need to appear confident even if you're not,' she said."
Share the Defining Moments of Our Lives

The more Jodi shared her stories, the more she connected.

She was no longer just another successful leader focused on business results. She was a fellow human being with hopes and dreams and fears like the rest of us.

Via The Heart-Led Leader:
"Jodi told me that she had only started opening up more to others recently, when she began looking for ways to build greater trust with her leadership team, clients, and customers. She realized that a shift toward openness, candor, and vulnerability might help. Jodi started talking more about herself with colleagues; she even gave a talk in which she discussed some defining moments in her life from her difficult childhood to her multiple miscarriages."
Vulnerability Builds Better Relationships

When a leader shows their vulnerable side, it helps others show theirs, too.

When people feel safe to share their vulnerability, things get real.

Via The Heart-Led Leader:
"It was so effective that Jodi schedule a meeting with her 15-person leadership, team, where she asked them to share stories about defining moments in their own lives. 'The whole group came together and we shared a lot,' she said. 'Since then, I've learned so much more about the people who work for me, what matters to them, and what motivates them. It has made us a better team. It helped me to see that by modeling vulnerability, I gave people permission to be vulnerable with me, with each other, and even with their clients.' As she put it: 'Vulnerability helps to build relationships.'"
Nobody Knew Her Story

Tommy Spaulding tells the story of a leadership workshop he led, where one of the attendees told her story for the first time.

She was in her sixties. She had withdrawn from community activities. Why she withdrew from her philanthropic ventures is the story that others really cared about.

Via The Heart-Led Leader:
"As soon as the words were out of my mouth, this lady broke down crying, which startled everyone in the room. This wasn't a quiet cry, with moist eyes or tears trickling down her cheek, but a convulsive cry punctuated by sobs and gasps. 'Is something wrong?' I asked her gingerly. 'It's just that my husband is now 68 years old and nobody in his family, not his parents nor his siblings, has lived past 70. I feel like I'm in my last years with him. He's been my best friend for four decades and I want to spend as much time as I can with him. I want to enjoy time with him before it's too late. So that's why I pulled myself back from community activities. My husband is more important.' 'Thank you for sharing that with us,' I told her. 'We should all be so lucky to have such a strong marriage that we're still best friends after 40 years.' The room was silent, and I could tell that no one quite knew how to proceed. I wanted to take advantage of the emotion of that moment, and so I asked the other people in the room. 'How many of you in here knew your colleague's story before today?' Not a single person raised a hand."
Connect in a Deeper Way with Those Around You

How can people relate to you, if you're above the trials and tribulations that everyone is up against, the personal demons and all?

You can't.

We're only human.

Via The Heart-Led Leader:
"'This is an important lesson,' I said, 'not only about the power of sharing or of vulnerability, but of the power of knowing the people you work with. When you get to know another person in this way, it helps you understand them in a new way. When you know that, you start to accept people more unconditionally; you begin to understand what makes them tick. And it results in stronger and deeper relationships, personally and professionally." It's not about exposing dark secrets-it's about understand the life events that made people into who they are.
People might understand us a little better, if we share a little more.

How many people do you work with or see every day and you don't know their story?

Everyone has a story.
3 Stories Leaders Need to Tell Change Your Strategy, Change Your Story, Change Your State Heart-Led Leadership How To Arouse People to Extraordinary Achievement My Story of Personal Transformation Personal Stories Bring Ideas to Life Visualize the Child to Build Your Empathy
You Might Also Like

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"If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story." - Orson Welles Everyone has a story. But not everyone tells their story. And we don't always ask. Sharing the stories that shaped your life doesn't make you weak. It makes you human.

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Different stories

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Note: This lesson was originally published on an older version of The Learning Network; the link to the related Times article will take you to a page on the old site.

Overview of Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students compare the news angle, information sources and construction of different news reports about the death of Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. They then use what they have learned to analyze how various media outlets report on a different news story.

Author(s):
Michelle Sale, The New York Times Learning Network
Yasmin Chin Eisenhauer, Bank Street College of Education in New York

Suggested Time Allowance: One hour

Objectives:
Students will :
1. Examine a statement announcing the death of Al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
2. Consider this news by reading and discussing the article "U.S. Strike Hits Insurgent at Safehouse."
3. Evaluate how two different online news sources report the same story.
4. Prepare a brief report using a different news story to compare how various media outlets cover the same material.

Resources / Materials:
-pens/pencils
-paper
-classroom board
-copies of "Statement by U.S. Forces in Iraq" found online at //www.nytimes.com/learning/students/pop/articles/08statement_LN.html (one per student)
-copies of "U.S. Strike Hits Insurgent at Safehouse" found online at //www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20060609friday.html (one per student)
-computers with Internet access (at least one work station per group)

Activities / Procedures:
NOTE TO TEACHERS: This activity is based on a breaking news story. By the time this lesson is addressed in your class, however, impacts from this event may be clearer. You should update students on that news, explaining that one of the purposes of this lesson is to evaluate hard news written while events are unfolding. The article used for this lesson may be substituted for a more recent New York Times article on this story, or a different piece of news entirely.
1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Prior to class, place copies of "Statement by U.S. Forces in Iraq" (//www.nytimes.com/learning/students/pop/articles/08statement_LN.html), the statement issued by General George W. Casey Jr. announcing the death of Al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, on each student's desk. Read the statement aloud, and ask students to follow along. Have students identify the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How of this breaking news story, and write their responses on the classroom board. What about this news is "breaking"? At what point is this type of information just "news"? Discuss what else there is to know about this story, and why it is important to examine other sources for information on this news.
A definition of breaking news, and additional information, can be found online at //www.newslab.org/research/newsalert.htm.
2. As a class, read and discuss the article, "U.S. Strike Hits Insurgent at Safehouse" ( //www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20060609friday.html), focusing on the following questions :
a. Who was Abu Musab al-Zarqawi?
b. According to Islamist militant Web sites, how will his death be viewed?
c. How did officials positively identify the body?
d. Why is Mr. Zarqawi's death an important event in the war in Iraq?
e. What has Mr. Zarqawi been instigating in Iraq?
f. What visuals were provided during the news briefing held by American military officials and Iraq's prime minister?
g. What was Mr. Zarqawi's goal for Iraq, according to an Islamic militant Web site?
h. How did the atmosphere at this news conference compare to the announcement on December 13, 2003, when Saddam Hussein was captured?
i. Why did the American ambassador to Iraq speak cautiously about this recent event?
j. What political events took place in Iraq as an immediate result of Mr. Zarqawi's death?
3. Divide students into small groups of two or three. Explain that in addition to the article read in class, they will use an online news resource to find and evaluate at least two other articles from different countries about the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Suggested news sources include BBC News ( //news.bbc.co.uk/), Reuters (//www.reuters.com), or another reputable online newspaper or news agency. One Web site that provides links to articles from various newspapers is WorldNews (//www.world-newspapers.com/
After students find two articles, ask them to evaluate each along with The New York Times article read in class, using the following guidelines (written on the board or copied into a handout for easier student access):
"Fold a piece of paper in thirds lengthwise to create three columns. At the top of each column, write the headline of each news article, in order, according to the time it was filed or posted. On the left should be the article published earliest, the middle should be the one published next, and on the right should be the one with the latest information. (As you fill up this piece of paper, fold others in a similar fashion and keep the same order of columns for each article as you go.) Underneath each headline, answer the following questions :
-What is the focus of the event, as implied by the headline?
-What verb(s) are written or implied in the headline? What message do the verbs send?
-How does the earliest article address the impact of this event? Do later articles report different hypotheses on how Mr. Zarqawi's death will impact the war in Iraq? How does the updated information affect your understanding of the situation?
-Identify each story's lead (introduction). How many words does the first sentence contain? How well do you feel the lead conveys essential information? From reading the lead, what seems to be the particular focus, or angle, of the article?
-What sources are cited and/or who is quoted in each article?
-Identify quotations and statements that demonstrate how various countries or groups of people feel about Mr. Zarqawi's death. Would you say the report is balanced? Explain. Do any articles show a particular bias? If yes, how?
-How does each article report the involvement of Mr. Zarqawi in the terror campaign and the war in Iraq?"
Towards the end of the period, reconvene as a class and discuss what students feel would be hardest part of reporting on breaking news, such as the news of Mr. Zarqawi's death. Do you think it is possible to report such an event objectively without revealing your own emotions or views about it? Help students feel comfortable sharing their own emotions, views and concerns related to this event, if they are inclined to do so.
4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Individually, students choose a breaking news story to examine at least three different media outlets, such as newspapers, news radio, Internet and television. To guide their research, students should consider the following questions (written on the board or copied into a handout):
-When was this news first reported?
-When was each source you are examining published or aired?
-How quickly can each medium refresh its information? How is this done?
-What is the depth of information provided by each news source? For example, does the story cover just the basics or is there background information or other contextual detail?
-What sources for news are mentioned by each medium?
Once research is completed, students should compile their findings into a brief report. These reports may be shared in a future class as part of a discussion on the developments after Mr. Zarqawi's death or a conversation about how various media outlets report current events.

Further Questions for Discussion:
-How do you think the war in Iraq is progressing? Why?
-How do you envision the United States and coalition forces getting out of the situation in Iraq?
-How has the war impacted your life or the lives of those around you?
-What is important to consider when examining information presented in a breaking news story?

Evaluation / Assessment:
Students will be evaluated based on class and group discussions, completion of Internet news source analysis, and thoughtful comparisons of news coverage by various media outlets.

Vocabulary:
martyrdom, watershed, bounty, sectarian, munitions, obliterated, exploitation, coalition, reminiscent, bolster, flagging, contending, lectern, allegations

Extension Activities:
1. Write an essay exploring the advantages and disadvantages of getting news from various mediums, such as newspapers, periodicals, radio, television, etc.
2. Create a "How It Works" poster examining how a newswire service, such as the Associated Press (AP), works. Prepare a sidebar showing how a major news source, such as The New York Times, uses this service.
3. Watch the slideshow "Zarqawi's Life Story," found online at//www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2004/07/12/international/20040713_ZARQ_SLID ESHOW_index.html. How do the images affect, if at all, your understanding or opinions about Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's death? Prepare a brief reaction paper exploring your response.

Interdisciplinary Connections:
American History- How does the war in Iraq compare to the Gulf War of 1991? Examine numbers of troops, casualties, goals, etc. Create a chart comparing your findings.
Civics- Explore the laws that apply to capturing people "wanted" by the government for various reasons. What is a bounty? How are bounties used in the criminal system? Prepare an oral report on your findings. Include details about bounties on men such as Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden and al-Zarqawi.
Teaching With The Times- Read the paper for additional coverage relating to the death of Al-Zarqawi and create an annotated timeline exploring reactions and events as they unfold. To order The New York Times for your classroom, click here.
Technology- Research precision munitions, such as the laser-guided missile used to kill Mr. Zarqawi. Write a report explaining how this equipment works.

Academic Content Standards:
Grades 6-8
World History Standard 44 - Understands the search for community, stability, and peace in an interdependent world. Benchmarks: Understands influences on economic development around the world; Understands instances of political conflict and terrorism in modern society; Understands the emergence of a global culture
Geography Standard 13 - Understands the forces of cooperation and conflict that shape the divisions of Earth's surface. Benchmarks: Understands factors that contribute to cooperation or conflict; Knows the social, political, and economic divisions on Earth's surface at the local, state, national, and international levels; Understands the factors that affect the cohesiveness and integration of countries
Language Arts Standard 1- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Uses style and structure appropriate for specific audiences and purposes; Writes expository compositions; Writes reflective compositions
Language Arts Standard 7- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies for reading a variety of informational texts. Benchmarks: Applies reading skills and strategies to a variety of informational texts; Summarizes and paraphrases complex, explicit hierarchic structures in informational texts; Uses new information to adjust and extend personal knowledge base; Identifies techniques used to convey viewpoint; Seeks peer help to understand information; Draws conclusions and makes inferences based on explicit and implicit information in texts; Differentiates between fact and opinion in informational texts
Language Arts Standard 8 - Demonstrates competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning. Benchmarks: Plays a variety of roles in group discussions; Asks questions to seek elaboration and clarification of ideas; Listens in order to understand a speaker's topic, purpose, and perspective; Conveys a clear main point when speaking to others and stays on the topic being discussed
Grades 9-12
World History Standard 44 - Understands the search for community, stability, and peace in an interdependent world. Benchmarks: Understands rates of economic development and the emergence of different economic systems around the globe; Understands the role of political ideology, religion, and ethnicity in shaping modern governments; Understands the role of ethnicity, cultural identity, and religious beliefs in shaping economic and political conflicts across the globe
Geography Standard 10 - Understands the nature and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics. Benchmarks: Knows how cultures influence the characteristics of regions; Understands how human characteristics make specific regions of the world distinctive; Understands how evolving political and economic alliances may affect the traditional cohesiveness of world culture regions; Knows the role culture plays in incidents of cooperation and conflict in the present-day world
Geography Standard 13 - Understands the forces of cooperation and conflict that shape the divisions of Earth's surface. Benchmarks: Understands how cooperation and/or conflict can lead to the allocation of control of Earth's surface; Knows the causes of boundary conflicts and internal disputes between culture groups; Understands the changes that occur in the extent and organization of social, political, and economic entities on Earth's surface
Language Arts Standard 1- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Writes compositions that fulfill different purposes; Writes persuasive compositions that evaluate, interpret, and speculate about problems/solutions and causes and effects; Writes expository compositions; Writes reflective compositions
Language Arts Standard 7- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies for reading a variety of informational texts. Benchmarks: Applies reading skills and strategies to a variety of informational texts; Summarizes and paraphrases complex, implicit hierarchic structures in informational texts, including the relationships among the concepts and details in those structures; Uses new information from texts to clarify or refine understanding of academic concepts; Uses discussions with peers as a way of understanding information
Language Arts Standard 8 - Demonstrates competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning. Benchmarks: Plays a variety of roles in group discussions; Asks questions to seek elaboration and clarification of ideas; Listens in order to understand a speaker's topic, purpose, and perspective; Conveys a clear main point when speaking to others and stays on the topic being discussed
This lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards listed above. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education; 3rd and 4th Editions and have been provided courtesy of the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning in Aurora, Colorado.

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Michelle Sale and Yasmin Chin Eisenhauer

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In this lesson, students compare the news angle, information sources and construction of different news reports about the death of Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. They then use what they have learned to analyze how various media outlets report on a different news story.

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Be vulnerable for someone's story

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"What makes you vulnerable makes you beautiful." ~Brene Brown
Vulnerability has never been my strong suit. It's no wonder. In order to be vulnerable, you have to be okay with all of you. That's the thing about vulnerability that no one tells you about.

Being vulnerable is not just about showing the parts of you that are shiny and pretty and fun. It's about revealing what you deny or keep hidden from other people. We all do this to some extent. I bet you've never said to a friend, "Oh my god, I just love that I'm insecure."

But that's the point, isn't it? You've got to love everything, if you want to be vulnerable by choice.

Most of us have probably experienced vulnerability through default. More often than not, we are either forced into that state through conflict, or we are surprised by it after our circumstances feel more comfortable.
Few of us consciously choose vulnerability. Why? The stakes are too high.
If we reveal our authentic selves, there is the great possibility that we will be misunderstood, labeled, or worst of all, rejected. The fear of rejection can be so powerful that some wear it like armor.

My first real experience with vulnerability came when I was twenty-five.

I had just accepted a position as a literature teacher of juniors and seniors at a local high school. This was quite possibly the most intimidating situation I had ever gotten myself into thus far. We're talking teenagers here, the most extraterrestrial of all age groups!

To make matters worse, I asked my parents for advice. Being longtime elementary school teachers, my parents had a plethora of horror stories to share about unruly students, unreasonable parents, and teachers who could not control their classrooms.

Each story ended with, "And that's why she quit and ended up going into retail."

I didn't want to be a quitter, so I listened well when they told me that I needed to be strong from the get-go, that I needed to show my students who was boss.

In the words of my father, "You can be a bitch and work your way down to nice, but you can't be nice and work your way up to being strong."

I took my parents' advice to heart. In the first week, I flunked seventy-five percent of my students on the summer reading exam. I yelled a lot to control the classroom environment.

And when my students would complain about an assignment, I would say to them, "Remember, this class is not a democracy, it's a monarchy and guess who's queen?"

When I read those words now, I can't help but cringe.
But at the time, I believed vulnerability was a liability. I was okay with being the dragon lady. It was safe.
And under that façade, no one knew how terrified I actually was. So I wore that armor as if my life depended on it.

If I had my way, I would have kept my guard up for the rest of that year. But my students were much smarter than me. They must have known on some level that, in the presence of true vulnerability, no one could remain closed off.

Perhaps no event demonstrated this better than when the senior honors project was in jeopardy.

It was not traditional curriculum, and thus it came under scrutiny. My seniors were visibly upset because they had worked so hard on their group papers, and they were looking forward to their presentations in which faculty from the school as well as from the university would be present.

When they expressed their feelings so honestly and openly, I could not turn away. Now, I wanted to fight not only for the project but for the students themselves.

When I thought we would have no choice but to abandon the whole thing, I remember telling my students that I wanted to quit. For the first time, I was very honest with them about how I was feeling and what I wanted for them.
I was, perhaps, the most vulnerable I had been all year. And that moment of vulnerability paid off big time.
When I left the school at the end of the year, I received many letters from my students. In them, I discovered that they were touched by the fact that I had fought so hard for them, that I was honest with them, and that I believed in them so passionately.

At the time, I probably said to the universe something like, "Ah! You tricked me! This was supposed to be just a temporary job until my real life began. I wasn't supposed to invest in anyone or be committed to anything or care about anyone."

But I was very connected to these students long before I even knew I was. Needless to say, they got their senior project. But I received something so much greater. I learned what vulnerability looked like and felt like. And I was the recipient of all its rewards.

Over the years, I have continued to experience that place of vulnerability. I cannot say that all my experiences have come through choice, but I do try to enter that state as much as I can.

While I am far from being an expert on this subject, I have come to some conclusions that I hope will be meaningful to those who want to choose vulnerability:

1. Vulnerability is so much easier when you love yourself.

Think about it. When you don't love all of you and are afraid to show people the less than stellar parts, the space between you and vulnerability is like the Grand Canyon. You will need all the courage you can get to make the leap across.

But when you love yourself, and I mean all of you, you don't worry so much if someone else doesn't. And when you're less afraid of rejection, you step right into that place of openness.

2. Vulnerability takes practice.

You don't just learn it once and then-ta-dah!-you're easily open to everything and everyone. My experience at the high school was very profound, but even now, many years later, I still have moments where I'm more guarded and less willing to share the real me.

Thank goodness life continues to give me opportunities to consciously choose openness. And most times, I do.

3. The rewards of vulnerability are immeasurable.

When I have chosen to be open, to show my authentic self, my students have met me there. And when they've met me there and formed that connection, there's nothing they can't accomplish.

With vulnerability, you experience true connection-true love for yourself-and you begin to attract people to you who are inspired by your openness.

While it's not easy to be vulnerable, you'd be surprised how loving all of you and then sharing it with another can help you to connect with anyone. In my own life, I'm continuing to open up to my students.

I've been showing them a little more of the complexity that is me. They now know the ugly truth that I don't do math. They know that whenever I need to half a recipe, my twelve-year-old nephew does the fractions for me.

Shameful? Perhaps. But you know what? I like that girl and in the end, so do my students.

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How Being Vulnerable Can Expand Your World

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"What makes you vulnerable makes you beautiful." ~Brene Brown Vulnerability has never been my strong suit. It's no wonder. In order to be vulnerable, you have to be okay with all of you. That's the thing about vulnerability that no one tells you about.

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Be inspired by someone's story

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"If your stories are all about your products and services, that's not storytelling. It's a brochure. Give yourself permission to make the story bigger." - Jay Baer

Great stories make the story "bigger" because they join people together. In the social impact space, that means going beyond simply speaking about the problem you address and how your programs are part of the solution. To truly forge connections between people, often worlds apart, you need to tell a story, and you need it to strike a chord.

However, after some time, something as emotionally driven as storytelling can start to feel laborious and contrived. To keep it authentic, real, and impactful, you need to continuously breathe new life into your stories-and this means looking for new sources of inspiration.

Coming up with new ideas doesn't need to be as hard as it might sound. Rather than develop entirely new concepts and tales, consider what small tweaks and new angles you can take, such as a shift in point of view, to reframe the conversation and remind your supporters why your cause needs support.

Here are nine places to find inspiration for telling your nonprofit's story. By the end of this list, you'll be ready to face your computer screen and declare, "Not today, blank page. Not today."

Your Founder

Starting a nonprofit organization is a lot like waging a war. A great deal goes into the decision to begin and typically there are catalyzing events that lead up to it. The founder of your organization was likely privy to extraordinary circumstances that led to their choice to raise their banners for your cause.

Describe the turning point for your founder. Identify the moment that caused them to stand up and say, "Enough is enough." The thought process that brought them here is likely the same thought process that will empower someone to contribute to the cause.

While it's common to see an organization's origin story on their website, you can push the envelope and get creative with how you tell your founder's story. For example, in this post that Scott Harrison wrote for Fatherly, he provides a very personal account of his transformation over the years and what that had to do with his cause.

Pro tip: In addition to getting the story straight from the horse's mouth, consider interviewing someone very close to your founder, such as their spouse or family member. How did they observe the transformation in your founder as he or she began this journey?

Your Beneficiaries

Research around the identifiable victim affect and its role in charitable giving has shown us the power of telling individual stories, versus focusing on a larger group. Maintain close relationships with your beneficiaries whenever possible to not only reignite personal passion for your cause, but also reignite your supporters.

Try a new angle: Go beyond putting your beneficiaries in the spotlight and pass them the mic. Rather than tell your audience an individual's story, show them a firsthand account.

Your Staff

The people who work for your organization (both employees and volunteers) can play a powerful role in your storytelling. Rather than just highlighting the work they're making possible, showcase their personal connections to your organization. This will humanize your organization and staff in the eyes of your audience and make them relatable.

Barbells for Boobs' staff page is a great example of how you can share details about your staff members to shed light on their personalities and what they stand for.

Popular Culture

You can also look to popular culture to inspire the storytelling in your marketing and communications. For example, Blood: Water drew inspiration from the popular HBO series, Game of Thrones, for their time-based campaign dubbed "The Real Game of Thrones." With this clever reference they aimed to raise enough money in 24 hours to install 21 latrines in Rwanda.

Blood: Water also uses popular culture references in their social media strategy. They often participate in trending hashtags such as #TBT (throwback Thursday) that allow them to continue their organization's story in a culturally relevant and lighthearted way. https://twitter.com/bloodwater/status/746130802170298368

Books and Film

If you're a storyteller, you're a writer in some facet. One thing writers are constantly advised to do to further hone their craft is to read. To be an all-star storyteller, you need to be an all-star story consumer. Whether you sit down to a summer bestseller or take the time to actually watch the commercials during ABC's The Bachelorette (your secret's safe with us), there's no shortage of opportunities to consume stories. Keep an eye out for different types of stories and ask yourself what makes them effective. This will not only help you to grow as a storyteller, it will also challenge you to continually ideate.

Strangers

Your mother might have told you not to talk to strangers, but as a nonprofit, approaching new individuals is a large part of the game. The next time you find yourself in a conversation with someone who's new to your organization, stay aware of how you frame the discussion. Keep these things in mind:

What do you choose to tell them about first?
Are they surprised by any of the information you share?
What questions do they ask?

A newcomer's perspective can be a valuable source of inspiration for your organization. Their fresh eyes can provide a unique set of lens not found among your staff or existing supporters.

Your Supporters

Your staff and beneficiaries aren't the only ones with personal connections to your cause. Many of your supporters also have emotional ties to your organization. You've probably even noticed a few "super fans" who regularly sign up to fundraise, donate, or engage with you and others on social media. Why not give these supporters a call and get to know them? Ask what drives them to engage with your organization. Just as your staff's bios will help your audience relate, sharing what you discover about your supporters will help newcomers understand why they should get involved.

Your Peers

As Charles Caleb Colton famously said, "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

In the nonprofit space, an increasing number of organizations understand that collaboration is the key to achieving the biggest impact possible. The organizations you look up to are doing incredible work. In many respects, there's no need to reinvent the wheel. While it's important to differentiate your organization, you can take best practices from your peers and draw inspiration from their work to inform your own.

Sometimes, getting fresh perspective and advice is as simple as getting on the phone. Reach out to organizations inside and outside of your own network to understand what works well for them, what doesn't, and what they're excited to try next to engage their community.

An Inspiration Board

As you explore different sources of inspiration, consider storing them all in one place. You might create a physical board in your office and decorate it with printed quotes and images. Or you might use a tool like Pinterest to help you stay organized and group inspirational content you come across online. Whatever form it takes, an inspiration board will give you a place to turn to when you feel at a loss for ideas.

The next time you're stuck, use these nine sources to inform your marketing and communications strategy and create stories that resonate with your audience and move them to engage. Where else do you draw inspiration for your nonprofit storytelling? Please let us know in the comments below.
This guest post was contributed by Ellie Burke of Classy.org. Ellie is a Content Marketing Associate and writes about fundraising strategies for the Classy blog. In her free time, she also writes young adult science fiction and fantasy.

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9 Sources of Inspiration for Nonprofit Storytelling - The Storytelling Non-Profit

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Editor's Note: This is a guest post from Ellie Burke of Classy.org. "If your stories are all about your products and services, that's not storytelling. It's a brochure. Give yourself permission to make the story bigger." - Jay Baer Great stories make the story "bigger" because they join people together.

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A message

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Storytelling Infuses Your Message with Meaning and Emotion - KWHS

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Filmmaker and author Murray Nossel talks about why storytelling is an especially powerful form of communication that we should embrace in business and life.

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The story of your hero

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Earnest Valentino Official Youtube Channel

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New MJ Documentary: March, 2017 (Man in the Mirror) with Earnest Valentino

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Connection with god

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Have you ever wondered about God? You're not alone. Most everyone comes to a point in their life where they wonder about God -whether He exists, what He's like, and what He wants from them.

These are important questions. And if you just watched the Life in 6 Words: The GOSPEL video, you've gotten a glimpse of what the Bible has to say about these questions. Here's a brief summary of what you just heard on the video:

You can find a more comprehensive explanation of these six truths here.

Just think, the God of the Universe longs for a personal relationship with you that's available through Jesus' work on the cross! How can you enter into this amazing new relationship with God?

By placing your trust in Jesus alone to pay the price for your sin and open the doorway for you to receive the free gift of eternal life, a life in Christ that starts now and lasts forever.

Is there anything holding you back from putting your faith in Jesus right now to give you eternal life? If so, you can learn more here.

You can start a new relationship with God NOW!

The Bible tells us that our heart and soul are transformed when we put our trust in Jesus. This decision to trust Christ launches you into a new relationship with God. So, while saying a prayer isn't what opens the door to this life-transforming relationship with God, a prayer is one way for you to express your new-found faith in Jesus. You might say something like this to God:
"Dear God, I know that my sins have broken my relationship with you and that nothing I could do could ever change that. But right now, I believe that Jesus died in my place and rose again from the dead. I trust in Him to forgive me for my sins. Through faith in Him, I am entering an eternal relationship with you. Thank you for this free gift! Amen."
Did you just place your faith in God through His Son Jesus? (And clicking "yes" on the button below isn't what saves you either...only faith in Jesus.)

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Ever Wonder About God? Have you ever wondered about God? You're not alone. Most everyone comes to a point in their life where they wonder about God -whether He exists, what He's like, and what He wants from them. These are important questions. And if you just watched the Life in 6 Words: The GOSPEL ...

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Connection with who you are as a person and others

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In every romantic relationship, there comes that important transitional moment when a casual flirtation either deepens into something more meaningful or simply fizzles out. If you've been dating someone for a while-long enough to know you definitely like the person, but briefly enough that you don't know where the relationship is ultimately headed-you may be starting to wonder if the connection you share has the potential for a real future, or if you're spinning your wheels, hanging out with someone you only really connect with on a surface level. You and your potentially-significant other must have something in common, otherwise you wouldn't have started dating in the first place. But is this commonality-an intense physical attraction, a similarly weird sense of humor, a shared love of Joss Whedon, whatever-the sum total of what you have to offer each other, or is it the seed of a deep and lasting bond? Only time will tell how your relationship will change and grow, but keep a look out for these significant signs that your connection goes well beyond the superficial:

1. You make an effort to spend time alone together, not just in a group

If you're always hanging out with someone in a group, it can be difficult to make a connection that's deeper than shallow banter and flirting. If you're spending a lot of time alone together, having real conversations, then you can actually get to know each other.

2. You've been through something difficult together

Of course, we all hope that our lives will be easy and breezy all the time, but difficult moments-from illnesses, to family drama, to tough times at work-can say a lot about whether a relationship can last in the long term. If your potential S.O. is able to be supportive during a bad moment in your life (and better yet, if he or she goes the extra mile to really help), it's a sign that your relationship has depths beyond the superficial.

3. Conversations between you get deep in an effortless, non-forced way

If you have a real connection with someone, your conversations will be easy and free flowing, not awkward. And, importantly, they will have some substance; sure, you both love to pick apart the latest Marvel movie, but you'll also find yourself naturally discussing important events in your lives, your families, and your feelings.

4. You progressively spend more time together

As you shift from the early days of dating to having a deeper relationship, you'll progressively spend more time together. If you're dating for months and months, and you both seem content to only see each other every once in a while, it's a sign that neither of you feels a deeper connection (which is completely fine, by the way).

5. You feel comfortable being yourself

When you have a strong connection with someone, you feel comfortable being your real self. That doesn't mean that you have to pour out all of your deepest, darkest feelings all at once, but it does mean that you aren't constantly policing what you say and how you act.

6. You don't only hang out when it's convenient

Dating someone when you have lots of free time at your disposal is fairly easy. However, if you're crazy busy, yet you still find yourself carving out time to spend with the person you like- even if it means losing sleep-take that as a sign that you're interested in something more.

7. You are involved in each other's lives/friends/families

As your relationship grows and your connections deepen, you will both naturally become involved in each other's lives. If you're dating and dating, and you never seem to move toward meeting friends or family members, then you might need to think about how deep your connection really is.

8. You're able to travel together without bloodshed

Traveling with another person can be challenging, even when you're not in a romantic relationship. If you're able to spend a touristy weekend away with your new partner-navigating a new place and compromising about what you want to see and do-without wanting to kill each other, it may be a sign that you two are compatible on a deeper level.

9. You do more than have sex

Sex is an important part of a relationship at any stage, but if you find that you and your partner spend more time between the sheets than actually talking, then you might not have much more in common than your physical chemistry.
Images: Getty Images; Giphy (5)

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Signs Your Relationship Is More Than Superficial

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In every romantic relationship, there comes that important transitional moment when a casual flirtation either deepens into something more meaningful or simply fizzles out.

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Having a connection with the past and future

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Explain how history is a link between the past, the present, and the future. | eNotes

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Get an answer for 'Explain how history is a link between the past, the present, and the future.' and find homework help for other History questions at eNotes

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Connection with Technolgy

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Having a Good connection with your family?

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I am so excited to be part of the second annual School's Out blog hop. Tons of bloggers are getting together to share their top 10 learning activities to keep your child's mind stay active this summer. Learning doesn't have to just mean reading, writing and arithmetic. I am a firm believer in life long learning and building connections to activate the brain. This was a big year with lots of changes in our family, so I have decided that one of my biggest goals this summer is to build family connections.

It seems that there is always this hustle and bustle, this hum surrounding learning. Hurry to learn to read, hurry to learn how to add and subtract, hurry to learn how to pass a test. How often to do we all just emphasize learning to be a family. Unfortunately, being a family doesn't always come naturally. If you are a regular here, you are aware that we definitely aren't the picture perfect family and have had some struggles along the way. That's why I decided to make a list of 10 ways I was going to build our family connections this summer.

I am making a vow to slow down and focus on learning to be family. I want to learn to enjoy and appreciate my moments with my children. I want to learn how to be a family of life long learners. I want to learn more about my children's wants, desires and aspirations. I want to learn how to be there for my children and live in the moment. Most of all, I want to learn to cherish them and build positive connections that will be the foundation for our family.

Have a Conversation

I vow to talk more with my children.

Not just talking to them or at them, but talking with them. I want to make an effort to listen to them, respond to them and be present enough to hear what they are saying. I want to make an effort to move beyond one word answers and build our conversations. I plan to carve out time to give each child their own attention and talk about what they want to talk about. I plan to sit as an entire family and problem solve with family meetings.

Play Games

I vow to play with my children.

I am guilty of getting too busy to sit and truly play with my children. During the hustle and bustle, their play time is my time to get the laundry folded, make dinner or sometimes just take a breather. This summer, I want to be conscious to play more. I plan to rough house with them, tickle them and play a good old fashioned game of hide and go seek. When things start to get tense or frustrating, I am going to try to remember to use games as a way to help my children manage their feelings and frustrations.

Get Silly

I vow to be silly and fun.

Life can be so serious. Whether its sensory meltdowns or dealing with Mr. X, life tends to get a little stressful in our home. Some days I think you can cut the tension with a knife. This summer, I want to loosen up. I want to help my children learn to be silly, embrace the silly, and know that I can be silly too! This summer, its time to take a break from serious. Its time to sing like an opera singer, make silly faces, or maybe even surprise my kids by joining in on their games of jinx and knock knock jokes. I want to laugh more and who better to teach me that, than my kids.

Make Special Memories

I vow to cherish the little moments and turn them into memories.

I'm not talking about taking an elaborate trip, buying them a special summer experience, or even planning an elaborate day of events. Nope. I just want to spend this summer building memories of feeling connected as a family. Maybe we will have a dance party in the kitchen or have an impromptu picnic in the trunk. Maybe we will build a fort and sleep in the living room. Maybe we will camp in the backyard or maybe we will just cuddle and laugh together. Whatever we choose to be, I want to make an effort to make the small moments the big memories. I want to look back at the end of the summer and say "I remember connecting with my family".

Say "Yes" More

I vow to say "Yes" more.

Okay, this is a hard one for me. Its something we talk about a lot in our house, since the book "Yes Day" is one of their favorite books. Legoman seems to think in extremes, so for him "Yes Day" might be a day filled with ice cream all day, a trip to Chucky Cheese and Legoland (in the same day), or buying the Lego set he has always wanted. However, it really hit home when the boys started beginning their questions with "You are problably going to say NO, but...." While, it is going to be hard to let go and plan a "Yes" Day, I think I can do it. Who knows maybe I can turn this into a "Yes Summer" instead of just a single day.

Unplug

I vow to be present more, look up more, and spend more time with my children than my computer.

In my line of work it really is hard to remember to take it slow and unplug. I have found that, while we don't watch much television or play many video games, we do use our computers and phones a lot! This past week, Super B broke my phone and I have had to use a phone that is only equipped with the capabilities to make phone calls and text. I can't tell you how this has made me realize just how much I was dependent on the phone, how often I was using it to "work" the day, and miss out on connecting with my kids. This summer I plan to not just plan a few Screen Free Days, but plan a few UNPLUGGED days as well. Goodbye electronics, hello family.

Try Something New

I vow to experience new things.

As adults, we tend to forget that feeling of amazement when something is new to us. Just watch a one year old for a few minutes and you will realize how exciting it can be to experience something for the first time. I don't just want to be a bystander while I plan these new experiences for my children this summer. This summer I plan to find something I have never tried. Maybe it will be a new food, a new book, or a new science experiments. Maybe, as a family we can even make a plan to perform random acts of kindness. Whatever we choose, I want to connect with my children through new experiences and slow down enough to notice and cherish their reactions.

Make Something Yummy

I vow to cook with my children more.

In our house, we used to cook together all the time. My boys love helping in the kitchen and creating new dishes with me. This summer, I want to get back to cooking and exploring in the kitchen with the kids. I want to wake up early and make pancakes, try a new recipe, and maybe even create our own creations. For me, the kitchen is a place to explore, have conversations, and connect!

Read Together

I vow to read with, to and around my kids.

If you know me, you know that I love the idea of reading. I love teaching children to read and I love developing the love of reading. However, I am not a reader myself. This summer, I want to take the time to read WITH my children. I want to read a book I like as a way to model that love for reading. Maybe we will curl up outside on a blanket and have a read-a-thon or maybe we will make a library date . I want to teach my kids to love reading. So, not only will I encourage my children to read, I will take the time to slow down and read TO them. I miss curling up with a good chapter book and reading it with the boys. This summer, I will make the time for a good night story and for books to take a front row seat in our summer.

Travel

I vow to explore the world with my children.

This doesn't have to be expensive, but the truth is that travel brings you closer together. Whether you are stuck in a car or on a plane, you are forced to work together and connect. This summer, I want to make a plan to travel more. Maybe we will save and splurge for a frugal vacation, maybe we will travel to another city or state, or maybe we will virtually travel across the world. Whatever we choose, I plan to make exploring a part of our summer and a way to connect with my family.

How will you connect with your family this summer?

Looking for More Summer Ideas for Family Connections

Follow Dayna :: Lemon Lime Adventures's board Summertime! Laugh, Learn, Play on Pinterest.

25 Ways to Reconnect with Your Kids | Dirt and Boogers

Be sure to hop on over to see all the other bloggers participating in our School's Out! Top 10 Blog Hop! Click here or on the image below.

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I am so excited to be part of the second annual School's Out blog hop. Tons of bloggers are getting together to share their top 10 learning activities to keep your child's mind stay active this summer. Learning doesn't have to just mean reading, writing and arithmetic.

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Showing connection

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Signs of Telepathic Connection between Two People

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Why is connection important?

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The Value and Importance of Human Connections

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The Value and Importance of Human Connection. In this TED Talk, Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, talks about the value and importance of human connection and why no significant learning can occur in life without a significant relationship... Such a beautiful and profound talk.

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Can animals show connection?

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What is the human-animal connection?

The connection between humans and animals is one of the most fundamental bonds that human beings experience. As the cave paintings in Lasceaux, France illustrate, humankind has interacted closely with the animal kingdom for tens of thousands of years. That powerful and mutually beneficial bond continues today, with people and animals connecting in ways that are essential to the health and well-being of both.

One aspect of this bond is keeping the world's population well-nourished and healthy through a wholesome and sustainable supply of beef, pork, poultry, dairy products and eggs. Another aspect is the bond between humans and companion and working animals. From household pets to horses that herd livestock to therapy dogs that provide comfort to victims of disaster and illness, the lives of both humans and animals are made better by our mutual bond.

Emotional Benefits

To put it simply, pets are good for people. Pets give people a loving companion to care for. They encourage touch, conversation and often laughter. They cause us to exercise and offer an antidote for loneliness. They teach children responsibility. By caring for pets, pet owners benefit, too.

Yet a growing body of research into the human-animal connection shows that the benefits are not just emotional. For example, pets can boost infant immunity to infections, help with mental health disorders by affecting brain chemistry, and lower blood pressure.

Healthy animals, healthy humans - it's a powerful two-way bond.

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The connection between humans and animals is one of the most fundamental bonds that human beings experience. As the cave paintings in Lasceaux, France illustrate, humankind has interacted closely with the animal kingdom for tens of thousands of years.

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How does connection work?

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"You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you." - Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People

I don't care what your goals, industry or interests are, there's no getting around it: Personal relationships run the world. But why is it that some people seem to build instant rapport with most anyone they come across, while others are left with a network of one?

Over the past few years, I've conducted a study of exactly what sets these people apart. Turns out, the results are more simple, and more powerful, than you'd think. And they led me to interactions and connections with world-class CEOs, best-selling authors, professional athletes and other seemingly untouchable folks, including Tony Robbins and Warren Buffett.

Regardless of status or fame, people are people. And the 7 pillars of making a connection with another person are always the same -- whether applied to your next-door neighbor, one of the world's biggest celebrities or even the cute girl sitting at the bar:

1. Be genuine. The only connections that work will be the ones that you truly care about; the world will see through anything short of that. If you don't have a genuine interest in the person with whom you're trying to connect, then stop trying.

2. Provide massive help. Even the biggest and most powerful people in the world have something they'd like help with. Too many people never reach out to those above them due to the fear that they wouldn't be able to offer anything in return. But you have more to offer than you realize: write an article or blog post about them, share their project with your community, offer to spread their message through a video interview with them. Give real thought to who you could connect them with to benefit their goals. If it turns out you can't be that helpful, the gesture alone will stand out.

3. Pay ridiculous attention. It's nearly impossible to genuinely offer help if you don't pay attention -- I mean real attention, not just to what business they started or what sport they like! Do your research by reading blog posts, books and articles about the connection beforehand. Learn about their backgrounds and passions. Invest genuine time in learning what really matters to them and how you can help.

4. Connect with people close to them. Most job openings are filled through networking and referrals, and making connections is no different. You automatically arrive with credibility when referred to someone you want to meet by a mutual friend. For example, I recently wanted to meet a best-selling author, and it turned out we had the same personal trainer. In reality, that fact means nothing, but in the world of social dynamics, it's gold! Spend more time connecting with your current network of friends and colleagues and see where it leads.

5. Persistence wins most battles. If you can't get a direct referral, simply click send on that email or leave a message after the beep. But do not stop there, as most the world tends to. The first attempt is just the very beginning. Realize that the first try may get you nowhere, but the fifth or the tenth tries are the ones that start to yield results. An unreturned email or voicemail doesn't mean they don't want to connect with you. It's your job to be persistent! I sometimes get hundreds of requests in a day from readers who want to connect, but only about 2 percent ever follow up. Don't be in a hurry, but don't be invisible either.

6. Make real friends. Think about how you've made the friends you have. That's all this is. You only make friends with people you genuinely want in your life. The same rule should go for bigger-name connections. Don't over-think it. Be human, be helpful and most humans will happily be human in return, regardless of who they are.

7. Remain unforgettable. All of the above are simple -- yet sadly underused -- ways of standing out. Send birthday cards. Mail your favorite book with a signed personal note from you on the inside flap. Send them your family Christmas card. Be genuinely helpful. You'd be surprised how the simplest things actually never get done. Being memorable isn't as hard as some think!

It all comes back to helping others. If you spent 100 percent of your waking hours thinking about how you can help absolutely everyone you come in contact with -- from the woman who makes your latte, to the top authority in your industry -- you will find everything else tends to take care of itself. The world will suddenly be in your corner.
Scott Dinsmore is the founder of Live Your Legend, a coaching and digital product company helping people build a career around work they love. He's also a Managing Partner at Cumbre Capital, a value investment partnership modeled after the Buffett Partnerships of the 50's and 60's. Scott loves a good adventure. The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the world's most promising young entrepreneurs. The YEC leads #FixYoungAmerica, a solutions-based movement that aims to end youth unemployment and put young Americans back to work.
Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invitation-only, fee-based organization comprised of the world's most successful entrepreneurs 40 and younger. YEC members represent nearly every industry, generate billions of dollars in revenue each year and have created tens of thous...

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The 7 Pillars of Connecting With Absolutely Anyone

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"You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you." - Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People I don't care what your goals, industry or interests are, there's no getting around it: Personal relationships run the world.

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What is connection?

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con·​nec·​tion | \ kə-ˈnek-shən \

a : causal or logical relation or sequence the connection between two ideas

b(1) : contextual relation or association In this connection the word has a different meaning.

(2) : relationship in fact wanted in connection with a robbery

c : a relation of personal intimacy (as of family ties) Family connections can make getting a job much easier.

d : coherence, continuity … a confused multitude without order or connection.— John Locke

2 a : something that connects : link a loose connection in the wiring

b : a means of communication or transport a telephone connection

3 : a person connected with another especially by marriage, kinship, or common interest has powerful connections

4 : a political, social, professional, or commercial relationship The school has no connection with the museum. : such as

b : an arrangement to execute orders or advance interests of another a firm's foreign connections

c : a source of contraband (such as illegal drugs)

5 : a set of persons associated together: such as

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the act of connecting : the state of being connected: such as; causal or logical relation or sequence; contextual relation or association... See the full definition

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Empathy in a much more deeper meaning

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Empathy is the ability to recognize, understand, and share the thoughts and feelings of another person, animal, or fictional character. Developing empathy is crucial for establishing relationships and behaving compassionately. It involves experiencing another person's point of view, rather than just one's own, and enables prosocial or helping behaviors that come from within, rather than being forced.

Some surveys indicate that empathy is on the decline in the United States and elsewhere, findings that motivate parents, schools, and communities to support programs that help people of all ages enhance and maintain their ability to walk in each other's shoes.

Empathy helps us cooperate with others, build friendships, make moral decisions, and intervene when we see others being bullied. Humans begin to show signs of empathy in infancy and the trait develops steadily through childhood and adolescence. Still, most people are likely to feel greater empathy for people like themselves and may feel less empathy for those outside their family, community, ethnicity, or race.

Empathy helps us connect and help others, but like other traits, it may have evolved with a selfish motive: using others as a "social antenna" to help detect danger. From an evolutionary perspective, creating a mental model of another person's intent is critical: the arrival of an interloper, for example, could be deadly, so developing sensitivity to the signals of others could be life-saving.

Babies display an understanding that people's actions are guided by intentions and are able to act on that understanding before they are 18 months old, including trying to comfort a parent. More advanced reasoning about other people's thoughts develops by around age 5 or 6, and research shows that parents who promote and model empathy raise more empathetic children.

Empathy, sympathy, and compassion are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same. Sympathy is feeling of concernfor someone else, and a desire that they become happier or better off, while empathy involves sharing the other person's emotions. Compassion is an empathic understanding of a person's feelings accompanied by altruism, or a desire to act on that person's behalf.

Researchers believe people can choose to cultivate and prioritize empathy. People who spend more time with individuals different from themselves tend to adopt a more empathic outlook toward others. Other research finds that reading novels can help foster the ability to put ourselves in the minds of others. Meditation has also been shown to help cultivate brain states that increase empathy.

Some neuroscientists have advanced the concept of "mirror neurons" as a possible source of empathy. These neurons, it is theorized, enhance the capacity to display, read, and mimic emotional signals through facial expressions and other forms of body language, enhancing empathy. But whether mirror neurons actually operate this way in humans is a subject of longstanding scientific debate, and some scientists question their very existence.

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The ability to convey support for a partner, relative, or friend is crucial to establishing positive relationships. Empathy enables us to establish rapport with another person, make them feel that they are being heard, and, through words and body language, mimic their emotions. Perspective-taking, or the empathic ability to assume the cognitive state of another person and see a problem through their eyes, can further cement a connection.

In healthy relationships, people expect their partners to empathize with them when they face hardship or personal struggles, but the ability to empathize with a partner in good times may be at least as important. In one study, displaying empathy for a partner's positive emotions was five times more beneficial for relationship satisfaction than only empathizing with his or her negative emotions.

People high in narcissism, or who have narcissistic personality disorder, can exhibit empathy and even compassion. However, that ability only goes so far, as ultimately their own needs come first. Some researchers believe narcissists can develop greater empathy by developing greater self-compassion, which can increase their own feelings of security and self-worth and enable them to open up to hearing others.

Putting yourself in someone else's shoes can be beneficial, but when it becomes one's default mode of relating to others, it can blind an individual to their own needs and even make them vulnerable to those who would take advantage of them.

First responders, humanitarian aid workers, doctors, therapists, journalists, and others whose work involves opening themselves up to others' pain tend to be highly empathic. However, they may come to share the heartbreak of those they help or whose stories they record. As such "emotional residue" accumulates, they may shut down, burn out, and become less willing or able to give of themselves.

Empaths are often characterized as being highly sensitive and overly focused on the needs of others. They may benefit from time alone, as they find it draining to be in the presence of other people. People who are very empathic are more likely to be targeted by manipulative individuals. For this reason, it is important to create healthy boundaries in all relationships, and to be cognizant of relationships with "energy vampires," who are draining to empaths and non-empaths alike.

Intuition, aided by neuroception, can shape decision-making. Understanding this can boost leadership, teamwork, growth, trust, self-discovery, and creativity.

Intuition, aided by neuroception, can shape decision-making. Understanding this can boost leadership, teamwork, growth, trust, self-discovery, and creativity.

The powerful roles of empathy, compassion, and conflict resolution techniques from a psychological perspective in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The powerful roles of empathy, compassion, and conflict resolution techniques from a psychological perspective in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Intuition, aided by neuroception, can shape decision-making. Understanding this can boost leadership, teamwork, growth, trust, self-discovery, and creativity.

Intuition, aided by neuroception, can shape decision-making. Understanding this can boost leadership, teamwork, growth, trust, self-discovery, and creativity.

The powerful roles of empathy, compassion, and conflict resolution techniques from a psychological perspective in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The powerful roles of empathy, compassion, and conflict resolution techniques from a psychological perspective in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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Empathy is the ability to recognize, understand, and share the thoughts and feelings of another person, animal, or fictional character. Developing empathy is crucial for establishing relationships and behaving compassionately. It involves experiencing another person's point of view, rather than just one's own, and enables prosocial or helping behaviors that come from within, rather than being forced.

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Anyone and anything can show empathy towards something

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Empathy in Animals

Empathy is a well-known emotion in the Human species. The ability to identify, understand and share feelings with another person helps people make social bonds and develop emotional growth within them. Comparative psychology has wondered and studied whether non-human animals share this ability that is thought to be uniquely human. Observations and experiments show that there is evidence of such behavior, tested by behavioral and physiological measures of stress (Edgar). The extent to which animals portray this however varies from species to species, with some animals showing minuscule signs of emotional empathy and others showing more complex cognitive empathy. In a journal titled, "The 'Russian Doll' model of empathy and imitation" De Waal explains a model of empathy behavior in nonhuman primates using the comparison of a Russian doll.

The way an animal perceives another of its own species shows implications of whether it has the ability to empathize. In De Waal's model, each layer related and connects to another, much like a Russian doll with each piece fitting inside each other. This model explains core tools of emotional connection of animals through mapping another animal's behavior onto an observer animal's perception (De Waal). The inner core of this model represents mimicry and emotional effects on another animal, and the highest level is when an animal is fully appreciated by another. All layers in between deal with recognizing another animal as a source of feelings and whether or not an animal shows response or reciprocates (care or reassurance) (De Waal). Although De Waal's model can clearly explain certain behaviors of empathy, many studies are still being put into place to test if the behavior is even possible outside of the human race.

Past studies have shown that Hens display physiological and behavioral responses (such as increased heart rate, hyperthermia and increased vocals) when their chicks are experiencing mild distress (Edgar). Although this observation shows a foundation of the behavior of empathy, experimenters were curious to see if the hens would still display similar responses with unrelated but familiar members of the same species. To test this, an experiment exposed hen to two replicates of four different conditions (control, control with noise of an air puff, air puff to conspecific, and air puff to observer hen) and being physiologically and behaviorally measured 10 minutes before treatment and 10 minutes during treatment to examine if there was a change (Edgar). This experiment resulted in the observer hen feeling distress to the air puff that was directed that themselves but no behavior or physiological response to the distress of the conspecific. This implies no basis of emotional empathy in that context with that species. However, although this experiment proved empathy to be a foreign idea for Hens, observations of other species show promising implications of empathetic behavior.

One species that shows unique nonhuman animal traits and possible foundations of empathy is the elephant. In a study that collected reports for over 35 years, a group of elephants continuously portrayed signs of understanding the feelings and emotions of each other. Behaviors such as protects and comfort in others, aiding those in need (trouble moving or removing attached foreign objects) and showing signs of mourning when a family member dies all show signs of empathetic understanding (Bates). The elephants in this study showed an understanding of emotional state and intentions even when they were different from their own. Although these findings seem to be rare and not present in every nonhuman species, it shows that other animals have the ability to empathize, giving reason to disbelieve that humans are the only animals capable of doing so, as well as giving reason to further explore, observe and test other species to see if they are also capable of such a seemingly complex behavior

Bibliography

Bates, L.A., Lee, P. C., Njrini, N., Poole, J. H., Sayialel, K., Sayialel, S., &...Byrne, R. W. (2008). Do Elephants Show Empathy?. Journal of Counsciousness Studies, 15(10-11), 204-225.

De Waal, F. M. (2007). The 'Russian doll' Model of Empathy and Imitation. In S. Bråten (Ed.), On being moved: From mirror neurons to empathy (pp. 49-69). Amsterdam Netherlands: John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Edgar, J. L., Paul, E. S., Harris, L., Penturn, S., Nicol, C. J. (2012). No Evidence for Emotional Empathy in Chickens Observing Familiar Adult Conspecifics. Plos ONE, 7(2), doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0031542

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Empathy in Animals Empathy is a well-known emotion in the Human species. The ability to identify, understand and share feelings with another person helps people make social bonds and develop emotional growth within them. Comparative psychology has wondered and studied whether non-human animals share this ability that is thought to be uniquely human.

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Lack of Empathy

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Can empathy really save the world?

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What is empathy??

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Did you know?

Sympathy and empathy both refer to a caring response to the emotional state of another person, but a distinction between them is typically made: while sympathy is a feeling of sincere concern for someone who is experiencing something difficult or painful, empathy involves actively sharing in the emotional experience of the other person.

Sympathy has been in use since the 16th century, and its greater age is reflected in its wider breadth of meanings, including "a feeling of loyalty" and "unity or harmony in action or effect." It comes ultimately from the Greek sympathēs, meaning "having common feelings, sympathetic," which was formed from syn- ("with, together with") and páthos, "experience, misfortune, emotion, condition." Empathy was modeled on sympathy; it was coined in the early 20th century as a translation of the German Einfühlung ("feeling-in" or "feeling into"). First applied in contexts of philosophy, aesthetics, and psychology, empathy continues to have technical use in those fields that sympathy does not.

Did you know?

Compassion and empathy both refer to a caring response to someone else's distress. While empathy refers to an active sharing in the emotional experience of the other person, compassion adds to that emotional experience a desire to alleviate the person's distress.

... the story of Nellie Bly, the first female investigative reporter, who not only demanded justice from powerful institutions, but also insisted on dignity and compassion for the most vulnerable citizens. - The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Aug. 2022

Blonde clearly wants us to feel for Norma Jeane, but it dwells on her pain so obsessively ... that the movie's empathy feels like another form of exploitation. - Justin Chang, NPR, 23 Sept. 2022

The distinction between compassion and empathy is frequently a topic of exploration.

By empathy I mean feeling the feelings of other people. So if you're in pain and I feel your pain-I am feeling empathy toward you. If you're being anxious, I pick up your anxiety. If you're sad and I pick up your sadness, I'm being empathetic. And that's different from compassion. Compassion means I give your concern weight, I value it. I care about you, but I don't necessarily pick up your feelings. ... [I]f I feel compassion for you, I'll be invigorated. I'll be happy and I'll try to make your life better. - Paul Bloom, quoted in Vox, 16 Jan. 2019

Compassion is a much older word; it's been part of the language since the 14th century, and comes ultimately from Latin com- and pati, meaning "to bear, suffer." Empathy is a 20th century coinage modeled on sympathy as a translation of the German Einfühlung ("feeling-in" or "feeling into"). It was first applied in contexts of philosophy, aesthetics, and psychology and continues to have technical use in those fields.

Example Sentences

He felt great His months spent researching prison life gave him greater empathy with the poor. empathy towards convicts.

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'empathy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Greek empatheia, literally, passion, from empathēs emotional, from em- + pathos feelings, emotion - more at pathos

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 2

The first known use of empathy was in 1909

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the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit... See the full definition

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What causes empathy?

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Are some people born with a brain that is wired to be more empathetic? Can compassion be learned? What daily habits or life experiences reinforce selfishness, narcissism, and at a far extreme psychopathy?

Last night, I listened to an interview with Madonna and Anderson Cooper talking about the importance of teaching our children to be able to empathize and to not be complacent about fighting against oppression and inequality. Two studies in the past month have identified specific brain regions linked to empathy and compassion.

This morning, a new study was released by the Max Planck Institute for Human and Cognitive Brain Sciences that revealed the neurobiological roots of how our own feelings and experiences can distort someone's capacity for empathy. Last month, another study from the University of Chicago found the neurobiological roots of psychopathic behavior. Together, these studies offer valuable clues for ways we can fortify empathy at a neural level. Luckily, researchers have found that compassion can be trained.
The Neuroscience of Empathy
In a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience on October 9, 2013, Max Planck researchers identified that the tendency to be egocentric is innate for human beings - but that a part of your brain recognizes a lack of empathy and autocorrects. This specific part of your brain is called the the right supramarginal gyrus. When this brain region doesn't function properly-or when we have to make particularly quick decisions-the researchers found one's ability for empathy is dramatically reduced. This area of the brain helps us to distinguish our own emotional state from that of other people and is responsible for empathy and compassion.

The supramarginal gyrus is a part of the cerebral cortex and is approximately located at the junction of the parietal, temporal and frontal lobe. "This was unexpected, as we had the temporo-parietal junction in our sights. This is located more towards the front of the brain," explains Claus Lamm, one of the paper's authors.

The research team headed by Tania Singer said, "When assessing the world around us and our fellow humans, we use ourselves as a yardstick and tend to project our own emotional state onto others. While cognition research has already studied this phenomenon in detail, nothing is known about how it works on an emotional level. It was assumed that our own emotional state can distort our understanding of other people's emotions, in particular if these are completely different to our own. But this emotional egocentricity had not been measured before now."

The right supramarginal gyrus ensures that we can decouple our perception of ourselves from that of others. When the neurons in this part of the brain were disrupted in the course of a research task, the participants found it difficult to stop from projecting their own feelings and circumstances onto others. The participants' assessments were also less accurate when they were forced to make particularly quick decisions.
The Lap of Luxury Can Make You Less Empathetic
When you are in an agreeable and comfortable situation it is more difficult to empathize with another person's suffering. At a neurobiological level - without a properly functioning supramarginal gyrus - your brain has a tough time putting itself in someone else's shoes. To test this in the laboratory the Max Planck researchers used a perception experiment in which participants, who worked in teams of two, were exposed to either pleasant or unpleasant simultaneous visual and tactile stimuli.

For example, while participant 1 was shown a picture of maggots and had slime placed on her hand, participant 2 saw a picture of a puppy and could feel soft, fleecy fur on her skin. "It was important to combine the two stimuli. Without the tactile stimulus, the participants would only have evaluated the situation 'with their heads' and their feelings would have been excluded," explains Claus Lamm. The participants could also see the stimulus that their team partners were exposed at the same time.

The two participants were then asked to evaluate either their own emotions compared to those of their partners. As long as both participants were exposed to the same type of positive or negative stimuli, they found it easy to assess their partner's emotions.

The participant who was confronted with an unpleasant or disagreeable experience could easily imagine how unpleasant the sight and feeling of slime and maggots must be for her partner. For more on the genetics of staying happily married please check out my recent Psychology Today blog: " Is the Secret to a Happy Marriage Held in Your DNA?"

Major differences arose during the test when one partner was confronted with pleasant stimuli and the other with unpleasant ones. In this scenario a person's capacity for empathy plummeted. The participants' own emotions distorted their assessment of the other person's feelings. The participants who were feeling good themselves assessed their partners' negative experiences as less severe than they actually were. In contrast, those who had just had an unpleasant experience assessed their partners' good experiences less positively.

Until now, social neuroscience models have assumed that people simply rely on their own emotions as a reference for empathy. This only works, however, if we are in a neutral state or the same state as our counterpart. Otherwise, the brain must use the right supramarginal gyrus to counteract and correct a tendency for self-centered perceptions of another's pain, suffering or discomfort.
The Neurological Basis for a Lack of Empathy
Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by 'a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow affect, glibness, manipulation and callousness.' When individuals with psychopathy imagine others in pain, researchers have found that brain areas necessary for feeling empathy and concern for others fail to become active and connected to other important regions involved in affective processing and compassionate decision-making.

A September 2013 study from the Department of Psychology at the University of Chicago published in journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscienc e found the neurobiological roots of psychopathic behavior.

When highly psychopathic participants imagined pain to themselves, they showed a typical neural response within the brain regions involved in empathy for pain, including the anterior insula, the anterior midcingulate cortex, somatosensory cortex, and the right amygdala. The increase in brain activity in these regions was unusually pronounced, suggesting that psychopathic people are sensitive to the thought of pain but are unable to put themselves in someone else's shoes and feel that pain.

When participants imagined pain to others, these regions failed to become active in high psychopaths. In a sadistic twist, when imagining others in pain, psychopaths actually showed an increased response in the ventral striatum, an area known to be involved in pleasure. Participants were assessed with the widely used PCL-R, which is a diagnostic tool use to identify varying degrees of psychopathic tendencies. Based on this assessment, the participants were then divided in three groups of approximately 40 individuals each: highly, moderately, and weakly psychopathic.

Previous research rate of psychopathy in prisons is much higher than the average population. About 23% of prison inmates are thought to be psychopathic while the average population is around 1%. To better understand the neurological basis of empathy dysfunction in psychopaths, neuroscientists used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on the brains of 121 inmates of a medium-security prison.

In the study participants were shown a variety of visual scenarios illustrating physical pain, such as a finger caught between a door, or a toe caught under a heavy object. Then they were asked to imagine that this accident happened to themselves, or somebody else. They were also shown control images that did not depict any painful situation, for example a hand on a doorknob.

The researchers believe that finding the neurobiological roots of empathy vs. psychopathy may lead to intervention programs in a domain where therapeutic pessimism is running rampant. Honing in on neural networks needed to make people more empathetic may be the key to targeting psychopathic behavior and lower violent crime. "Imagining oneself in pain or in distress may trigger a stronger affective reaction than imagining what another person would feel, and this could be used with some psychopaths in cognitive-behavior therapies as a kick-starting technique," the authors conclude.
Conclusion: Can meditation, daily physical activity, and volunteerism make your brain more empathetic?
Neuroscience allows us to see inside the human brain and better understand our minds. With this knowledge we can begin to make daily choices of mindset and behavior that not only reshape our neural circuitry but can alter the way human beings interact with one another.

Because our brain's neural circuitry is malleable and can be rewired through neuroplasticity one's tendency for empathy and compassion is never fixed. We all need to practice putting ourselves in someone else's shoes to reinforce the neural networks that allow us to ' love thy neighbor as thyself' and ' do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'

There are no easy answers for how to elevate people's consciousness and empathetic response. I am optimistic that through daily choices of mindset and behavior that anyone can rewire his or her brain to be more empathetic. As with everything, we need to take a multi-pronged approach. Other research has shown that compassion can be trained through: rigorous mindfulness training and/or loving-kindness meditation; physical activity that puts your body and mind in touch with "disagreeable" experiences some would consider to be a "suffer-fest"; and giving back through prosocial behavior and volunteerism.

Many studies have shown that mindfulness meditation that includes LKM (loving-kindness meditation) can rewire your brain. Practicing LKM is easy. All you have to do is take a few minutes everyday to sit quietly and systematically send loving and compassionate thoughts to: 1) Family and friends. 2) Someone with whom you have tension or a conflict. 3) Strangers around the world who are suffering. 4) Self-compassion, forgiveness and self-love to yourself.

Doing this simple 4-step LKM practice literally rewires your brain by engaging neural connections linked to empathy. You can literally feel the tumblers in your brain shift and open up to empathy by spending just a few minutes going through this systematic LKM practice.

I also believe that regular physical exercise and getting through a tough workout makes people more empathetic to human suffering. Some people may think that pushing yourself through a workout is masochistic. It is. This is one reason why daily physical exercise might make anyone less sadistic or likely to be a psychopath at neurological level.

Through the daily process of consciously seeking and experiencing something that is 'disagreeable' you become physically and mentally tough, but it makes you sensitive to what pain feels like. By leaving the comfort zone of modern American life - on a long run, bike ride or tough workout - you viscerally connect to the essence of human struggle experienced everyday by people around the world who are less fortunate than many of us. This is one of the founding principles of The Athlete's Way: Sweat and the Biology of Bliss.

Lastly, many studies have shown that volunteerism is good for your health. Dedicating some time each week to some type of charity work creates a win-win by reinforcing the empathetic wiring of your brain while making a contribution to reduce the suffering of someone less fortunate.

These are all small steps, but taken together they can fortify empathy and altruism at a neurobiological level for each individual. Collectively, these small steps can help make the world a better place.

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Are some people born with a brain that is wired to be more empathetic? Can compassion be learned? What daily habits or life experiences reinforce selfishness, narcissism, and at a far extreme psychopathy? Two studies in the past month have identified specific brain regions linked to empathy and compassion.

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How do you build empathy?

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Empathy is a quality that is integral to most people's lives - and yet the modern world makes it easy to lose sight of the feelings of others. But almost everyone can learn to develop this crucial personality trait, says Roman Krznaric.

Open Harper Lee's classic novel To Kill A Mockingbird and one line will jump out at you: "You never really understand another person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it."

Human beings are naturally primed to embrace this message. According to the latest neuroscience research, 98% of people (the exceptions include those with psychopathic tendencies) have the ability to empathise wired into their brains - an in-built capacity for stepping into the shoes of others and understanding their feelings and perspectives.

The problem is that most don't tap into their full empathic potential in everyday life.

You can easily find yourself passing by a mother struggling with a pram on some steps as you rush to a work meeting, or read about a tragic earthquake in a distant country then let it slip your mind as you click a link to check the latest football results.

The empathy gap can appear in personal relationships too - like when I find myself shouting in frustration at my six-year-old twins, or fail to realise that my partner is doing more than her fair share of the housework.

So is there anything you can do to boost your empathy levels? The good news is that almost everyone can learn to be more empathic, just like we can learn to ride a bike or drive a car.

A good warm up is to do a quick assessment of your empathic abilities. Neuropsychologist Simon Baron-Cohen has devised a test called Reading the Mind in the Eyes in which you are shown 36 pairs of eyes and have to choose one of four words that best describes what each person is feeling or thinking - for instance, jealous, arrogant, panicked or hateful.

The average score of around 26 suggests that the majority of people are surprisingly good - though far from perfect - at visually reading others' emotions.

Going a step further, there are three simple but powerful strategies for unleashing the empathic potential that is latent in our neural circuitry.

Make a habit of "radical listening"

"What is essential,' wrote Marshall Rosenberg, psychologist and founder of Non-Violent Communication, "is our ability to be present to what's really going on within - to the unique feelings and needs a person is experiencing at that very moment."

Listening out for people's feelings and needs - whether it is a friend who has just been diagnosed with breast cancer or a spouse who is upset at you for working late yet again - gives them a sense of being understood.

Let people have their say, hold back from interrupting and even reflect back what they've told you so they knew you were really listening. There's a term for doing this - "radical listening".

Radical listening can have an extraordinary impact on resolving conflict situations. Rosenberg points out that in employer-employee disputes, if both sides literally repeat what the other side just said before speaking themselves, conflict resolution is reached 50% faster.

Look for the human behind everything

A second step is to deepen empathic concern for others by developing an awareness of all those individuals hidden behind the surface of our daily lives, on whom we may depend in some way. A Buddhist-inspired approach to this is to spend a whole day becoming mindful of every person connected to your routine actions.

So when you have your morning coffee, think about the people who picked the coffee beans. As you button your shirt, consider the labour behind the label by asking yourself: "Who sewed on these buttons? Where in the world are they? What are their lives like?"

Then continue throughout the day, bringing this curiosity to who is driving the train, vacuuming the office floor or stacking the supermarket shelves. It is precisely such mindful awareness that can spark empathic action on the behalf of others, whether it's buying Fairtrade coffee or becoming friends with the office cleaner.

Bertolt Brecht wrote a wonderful poem about this called A Worker Reads History, which begins: "Who built the seven gates of Thebes? / The books are filled with the names of kings / Was it the kings who hauled the craggy blocks of stone?"

Become curious about strangers

I used to regularly walk past a homeless man around the corner from where I live in Oxford and take virtually no notice of him. One day I stopped to speak to him.

It turned out his name was Alan Human and he had a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford. We subsequently developed a friendship based on our mutual interest in Aristotle's ethics and pepperoni pizza.

This encounter taught me that having conversations with strangers opens up our empathic minds. We can not only meet fascinating people but also challenge the assumptions and prejudices that we have about others based on their appearance, accents or backgrounds.

It's about recovering the curiosity everyone had as children, but which society is so good at beating out of us. Get beyond superficial talk but beware interrogating people. Respect the advice of oral historian Studs Terkel - who always spoke to people on the bus on his daily commute: "Don't be an examiner, be the interested inquirer."

These are the kinds of conversations you will find happening at the world's first Empathy Museum, which is launching in the UK in late 2015 and will then be travelling to Australia and other countries.

Amongst the unusual exhibitions will be a human library, where instead of borrowing a book you borrow a person for conversation - maybe a Sikh teenager, an unhappy investment banker or a gay father. In other words, the kind of people you may not get to meet in everyday life.

Empathy is the cornerstone of healthy human relationships.

As the psychologist and inventor of emotional intelligence Daniel Goleman puts it, without empathy a person is "emotionally tone deaf".

It's clear that with a little effort nearly everyone can put more of their empathic potential to use. So try slipping on your empathy shoes and make an adventure of looking at the world through the eyes of others.

More from the Magazine

Parts of the NHS have come under fire in recent years, with David Cameron among those calling for health professionals to show more compassion. But Tom Shakespeare asks if there are dangers in placing too much emphasis on empathy.
How important is compassion in healthcare? (June, 2013) Roman Krznaric is the author of Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox. Empathy: Why It Matters, and How to Get It - on which this article is based - and is founder of the Empathy Museum and Empathy Library.

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Empathy is a quality that is integral to most people's lives - and yet the modern world makes it easy to lose sight of the feelings of others. But almost everyone can learn to develop this crucial personality trait, says Roman Krznaric.

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The creativity of Empathy

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Why is it important?

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Empathy is the ability to emotionally understand what other people feel, see things from their point of view, and imagine yourself in their place. Essentially, it is putting yourself in someone else's position and feeling what they are feeling.

Empathy means that when you see another person suffering, such as after they've lost a loved one, you are able to instantly envision yourself going through that same experience and feel what they are going through.

While people can be well-attuned to their own feelings and emotions, getting into someone else's head can be a bit more difficult. The ability to feel empathy allows people to "walk a mile in another's shoes," so to speak. It permits people to understand the emotions that others are feeling.

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Signs of Empathy

For many, seeing another person in pain and responding with indifference or even outright hostility seems utterly incomprehensible. But the fact that some people do respond in such a way clearly demonstrates that empathy is not necessarily a universal response to the suffering of others.

If you are wondering whether you are an empathetic person, here are some signs that show that you have this tendency:

You are good at really listening to what others have to say.

People often tell you about their problems.

You are good at picking up on how other people are feeling.

You often think about how other people feel.

Other people come to you for advice.

You often feel overwhelmed by tragic events.

You try to help others who are suffering.

You are good at telling when people aren't being honest.

You sometimes feel drained or overwhelmed in social situations.

You care deeply about other people.

You find it difficult to set boundaries in your relationships.

Types of Empathy

There are several types of empathy that a person may experience. The three types of empathy are:

Affective empathy involves the ability to understand another person's emotions and respond appropriately. Such emotional understanding may lead to someone feeling concerned for another person's well-being, or it may lead to feelings of personal distress.

Somatic empathy involves having a physical reaction in response to what someone else is experiencing. People sometimes physically experience what another person is feeling. When you see someone else feeling embarrassed, for example, you might start to blush or have an upset stomach.

Cognitive empathy involves being able to understand another person's mental state and what they might be thinking in response to the situation. This is related to what psychologists refer to as the theory of mind or thinking about what other people are thinking.

Empathy vs. Sympathy vs. Compassion

Uses for Empathy

Being able to experience empathy has many beneficial uses.

Empathy allows you to build social connections with others. By understanding what people are thinking and feeling, you are able to respond appropriately in social situations. Research has shown that having social connections is important for both physical and psychological well-being.

Empathizing with others helps you learn to regulate your own emotions. Emotional regulation is important in that it allows you to manage what you are feeling, even in times of great stress, without becoming overwhelmed.

Empathy promotes helping behaviors. Not only are you more likely to engage in helpful behaviors when you feel empathy for other people, but other people are also more likely to help you when they experience empathy.

Potential Pitfalls of Empathy

Having a great deal of empathy makes you concerned for the well-being and happiness of others. It also means, however, that you can sometimes get overwhelmed, burned out, or even overstimulated from always thinking about other people's emotions. This can lead to empathy fatigue.

Empathy fatigue refers to the exhaustion you might feel both emotionally and physically after repeatedly being exposed to stressful or traumatic events. You might also feel numb or powerless, isolate yourself, and have a lack of energy.

Empathy fatigue is a concern in certain situations, such as when acting as a caregiver. Studies also show that if healthcare workers can't balance their feelings of empathy (affective empathy, in particular), it can result in compassion fatigue as well.

Other research has linked higher levels of empathy with a tendency toward emotional negativity, potentially increasing your risk of empathic distress. It can even affect your judgment, causing you to go against your morals based on the empathy you feel for someone else.

Impact of Empathy

Your ability to experience empathy can impact your relationships. Studies involving siblings have found that when empathy is high, siblings have less conflict and more warmth toward each other. In romantic relationships, having empathy increases your ability to extend forgiveness.

Not everyone experiences empathy in every situation. Some people may be more naturally empathetic in general, but people also tend to feel more empathetic toward some people and less so toward others. Some of the factors that play a role in this tendency include:

How you perceive the other person

How you attribute the other individual's behaviors

What you blame for the other person's predicament

Your past experiences and expectations

At the most basic level, there appear to be two main factors that contribute to the ability to experience empathy: genetics and socialization. Essentially, it boils down to the age-old relative contributions of nature and nurture.

Parents pass down genes that contribute to overall personality, including the propensity toward sympathy, empathy, and compassion. On the other hand, people are also socialized by their parents, peers, communities, and society. How people treat others, as well as how they feel about others, is often a reflection of the beliefs and values that were instilled at a very young age.

Barriers to Empathy

Some people lack empathy and, therefore, aren't able to understand what another person may be experiencing or feeling. This can result in behaviors that seem uncaring or sometimes even hurtful. For instance, people with low affective empathy have higher rates of cyberbullying.

A lack of empathy is also one of the defining characteristics of narcissistic personality disorder. Though, it is unclear whether this is due to a person with this disorder having no empathy at all or having more of a dysfunctional response to others.

A few reasons why people sometimes lack empathy include cognitive biases, dehumanization, and victim-blaming.

Cognitive Biases

Sometimes the way people perceive the world around them is influenced by cognitive biases. For example, people often attribute other people's failures to internal characteristics, while blaming their own shortcomings on external factors.

These biases can make it difficult to see all the factors that contribute to a situation. They also make it less likely that people will be able to see a situation from the perspective of another.

Dehumanization

Many also fall victim to the trap of thinking that people who are different from them don't feel and behave the same as they do. This is particularly common in cases when other people are physically distant.

For example, when they watch reports of a disaster or conflict in a foreign land, people might be less likely to feel empathy if they think that those who are suffering are fundamentally different from themselves.

Victim Blaming

Sometimes, when another person has suffered a terrible experience, people make the mistake of blaming the victim for their circumstances. This is the reason that victims of crimes are often asked what they might have done differently to prevent the crime.

This tendency stems from the need to believe that the world is a fair and just place. It is the desire to believe that people get what they deserve and deserve what they get-and it can fool you into thinking that such terrible things could never happen to you.

Causes of Empathy

Human beings are certainly capable of selfish, even cruel, behavior. A quick scan of the news quickly reveals numerous unkind, selfish, and heinous actions. The question, then, is why don't we all engage in such self-serving behavior all the time? What is it that causes us to feel another's pain and respond with kindness?

The term empathy was first introduced in 1909 by psychologist Edward B. Titchener as a translation of the German term einfühlung (meaning "feeling into"). Several different theories have been proposed to explain empathy.

Neuroscientific Explanations

Studies have shown that specific areas of the brain play a role in how empathy is experienced. More recent approaches focus on the cognitive and neurological processes that lie behind empathy. Researchers have found that different regions of the brain play an important role in empathy, including the anterior cingulate cortex and the anterior insula.

Functional MRI research also indicates that an area of the brain known as the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) plays a critical role in the experience of empathy. Studies have found that people who have damage to this area of the brain often have difficulty recognizing emotions conveyed through facial expressions.

Emotional Explanations

Some of the earliest explorations into the topic of empathy centered on how feeling what others feel allows people to have a variety of emotional experiences. The philosopher Adam Smith suggested that it allows us to experience things that we might never otherwise be able to fully feel.

This can involve feeling empathy for both real people and imaginary characters. Experiencing empathy for fictional characters, for example, allows people to have a range of emotional experiences that might otherwise be impossible.

Prosocial Explanations

Sociologist Herbert Spencer proposed that empathy served an adaptive function and aided in the survival of the species. Empathy leads to helping behavior, which benefits social relationships. Humans are naturally social creatures. Things that aid in our relationships with other people benefit us as well.

When people experience empathy, they are more likely to engage in prosocial behaviors that benefit other people. Things such as altruism and heroism are also connected to feeling empathy for others.

Tips for Practicing Empathy

Fortunately, empathy is a skill that you can learn and strengthen. If you would like to build your empathy skills, there are a few things that you can do:

Work on listening to people without interrupting

Pay attention to body language and other types of nonverbal communication

Try to understand people, even when you don't agree with them

Ask people questions to learn more about them and their lives

Imagine yourself in another person's shoes

Strengthen your connection with others to learn more about how they feel

Seek to identify biases you may have and how they affect your empathy for others

Look for ways in which you are similar to others versus focusing on differences

Be willing to be vulnerable, opening up about how you feel

Engage in new experiences, giving you better insight into how others in that situation may feel

Get involved in organizations that push for social change

A Word From Verywell

While empathy might be lacking in some, most people are able to empathize with others in a variety of situations. This ability to see things from another person's perspective and empathize with another's emotions plays an important role in our social lives. Empathy allows us to understand others and, quite often, compels us to take action to relieve another person's suffering.

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Empathy allows us to understand and share the feelings of others. Learn why we feel empathy in some situations and not others, different types of empathy, and more.

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Why is it important in relationships?

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LovePanky - Your Guide to Better Love and Relationships

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Empathy is one of the most important abilities that help people understand each other. So why is it even more important in your relationship? By Lianne Choo

It is not uncommon to disagree with another person's views. Be it politics, religion, or something as silly as whether you should be using paper or plastic at the supermarket, there is nothing wrong with disagreeing with someone. However, it is very important to practice empathy, if you want to foster lasting relationships with those around you.

So what exactly is empathy? Not to be confused with sympathy, which is the ability to feel sorrow for someone else's misfortune, empathy is being able to connect with and understand the feelings of another. In a nutshell, it is putting yourself in another person's shoes and not freaking out about it.

Whether with your friends, family members, kids, neighbors, colleagues or your favorite Starbucks barista, empathy is very important when it comes to building lasting relationships with others. The most important person you should be empathizing with is, of course, your partner. If you can't connect with the most important person in your life, then who can you connect with?
Why is empathy so important?
If everyone in the world could empathize with each other, the world truly would be a better place. It is understandable that hoping for worldwide empathy is a long shot, so why not start slow and learn to empathize with your significant other? Here are 7 glaring reasons why empathy is very important in a relationship, and why you should be practicing this virtue.

#1 Bridge the divide. Fights often break out between couples because they cannot seem to see eye to eye on certain issues. Whether it is something major like deciding whether to have kids or something minor like figuring out what to eat for dinner, put yourself in your partner's shoes so that bridging the divide and getting past differences is not impossible. [Read: 16 clear signs you're in a narcissistic relationship]

#2 Give each other attention. When you learn to empathize with your lover, you will be able to shower him or her with the right amount of attention and love. When you put yourself in your partner's shoes, you will know whether you are smothering them with too much affection or if you are not setting enough time aside for them. Whether you are with a high powered career woman or with a stay-at-home dad, empathy will give you an inkling into their lives and what they expect from you.

#3 Bring out the positive. When you can empathize with your spouse, you will bring out the positivity not just in you, but in your partner. Understanding your loved one's behavior and how they approach life's challenges will give you full access into their world. This will undoubtedly bring positive change for both parties. [Read: Could your negative thinking be ruining your life?]

#4 Compassion is practiced. Seeing the world through someone else's eyes will undoubtedly give you the wonderful ability to be a more compassionate person. When you can connect with your partner and see for yourself what they have to go through on a daily basis, you will understand just why they are the way they are. This, in turn, will give you insight into how to make their world a better place and yours along with it.

#5 Walk a mile in someone else's shoes. Empathy is all about walking a mile in someone else's shoes. Whether it is donning your wife's stiletto pumps and envisioning yourself at yet another one of her high pressured meetings, or putting on your husband's muddy work boots for another tiring day at the quarry, you will be able to shed light on why they behave the way they do if you understand what they have to go through.

If your husband is a real grouch or if your girlfriend whines about work every time she has the chance to, it is because they want you to understand what they are experiencing. Instead of letting everything in one ear and out the other, visualize yourself in their shoes and act accordingly.

#6 It teaches patience. Empathy will undeniably teach both parties a thing or two about patience. Instead of losing your temper and taking things the wrong way, you can choose to react calmly by looking at things from someone else's point of view in a patient and understanding manner.

For example, I make dinner for my partner at least three times a week. A month ago, I tried out a new recipe and instead of applauding my efforts, he said, "Honey, I prefer the fish you made last week." Instead of getting angry and annoyed, I put myself in his shoes. There is nothing wrong with having differing tastes and opinions. So by empathizing with him and being patient, I avoided an unnecessary blowout with him over something as silly as dinner. [Read: 9 ways to master the art of constructive criticism]

#7 Work on your flaws. Another reason why empathy is so important in a relationship is because it teaches both sides that everything is not just about them. There are two sides to everything and being in a relationship is no different. When you empathize with your partner, you will be able to see why they get annoyed or upset with you. This can bring about nothing but positive change, as seeing the way you behave through their eyes will prompt you to work on your flaws and be a better person to them.

[Read: 8 habits that strengthen your bond with your partner]
Self-awareness and a non judgmental attitude is needed before you can properly empathize with someone. Look within yourself and find the strength to be less selfish and more understanding and you are well on your way to connecting better with your loved ones.
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7 Reasons Why Empathy Is Important in a Relationship

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It is not uncommon to disagree with another person's views. Be it politics, religion, or something as silly as whether you should be using paper or plastic at the supermarket, there is nothing wrong with disagreeing with someone. However, it is very important to practice empathy, if you want to foster lasting relationships with those around you.