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Do you ever get that feeling in your chest or stomach when you see something or hear something you shouldn't have? It's this heart wrenching thing and it feels tight and it's uncomfortable and there's not much you can do about it but just wait for it to pass. Yeah, I got those a lot when watching movies or reading something, so I'm guessing that's a connection as well.

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I believe you and me will make a connection after reading this and I'm happy. (:

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I strongly believe that fans make a great impact in actors, actresses, artist, bands, ect. because us as fans write to them or try to contact them as best as we can and tell them how they have helped emotionally, mentally and sometimes physically. In particular one band I can think of and say a fan made a big impact on a band is Blink-182 and the song is Adam's Song. The story behind that song if you don't know it is about a fan who emailed them telling Blink things that had been going with him and how they helped him out. A couple days later he committed suicide and Blink-182 wrote him a song.

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When this album came out I was in second semester of 9th grade and 9th grade for me was so different from senior year. I was a depressed teenager who thought daily of self-harming and suicide and when first heard this song I broke down into tears because it was that powerful of a song. Till this day I still cry.

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There was time i public speaking where we had to bring two objects that mean a lot to us and not only did I connect with my classmates when giving my speech but I think many people connected or related to others stories as well.

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When I was around 7 I had a pet turtle, who's name was turtle, and he died out of nowhere and I cried and felt really heartbroken. I took him out of his tank and put him in a box with little flowers and I put him in my bottom drawer in my room. After a couple weeks he started smelling really bad and my mom found my dead turtle, we then buried him in the backyard. Thinking about it now, I don't know why I didn't bury him instead.

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I believe that one of the most important things about a story is the moral, or the lesson at the end. One lesson that I have learned from some life experiences is to value the things and people you have because in a blink of an eye they can be gone or taken away from you.

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Why I want to go into the medical field.

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Why I want to go into the medical field.

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When I was around 7 or 8, I was going to this doughnut place with my dad and sister near our house, and behind the store an accident had happened. The ambulance and the fire fighters were there and I just got so curious I went to go see why. I pushed myself through the crowd surrounding the scene and in front of me there was a man who's head still in it's motorcycle bike was stuck underneath a car and the firefighters were trying to get him out of there while the paramedics were trying to stop the bleeding. I felt so intrigued by the scene in front of me that I just knew there and then that I wanted to go into the medical field.

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This the story of how I got my name. My older sister was supposed to be born on the first weeks of August, but she wasn't. It was until the last few days that my parents got worried and went to the hospital to check what was taking so long. The doctor told my parents how the umbilical cord was wrapped around one of her feet and cutting her circulation. Long- story short, my father went to church and he made a promise to the Virgin Mary which was, that if my sister's foot got better then the next kid they had would be name either Jesus Guadalupe or Maria Guadalupe. 5 years later I was born.

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Because of the band 5 Seconds of Summer, Victoria Arce and I became really good friends. Nobody really likes them except for her and their music really brought us together and I am so grateful and glad for that.

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During the last three years I have made amazing friendships but one friend that I have a strong connection with is Fernanda Lemieux. We have such a strange, weird, yet loving friendship and that is something that I have never had before. Ferna and I have strong bond/connection.

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I strongly believe that every teacher at HSHMC are the best teachers out there. They listen to you, give advice, and make sure that you know that you aren't alone. I honestly believe that these teachers strong care for their students, and that is something that not many schools have.

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When they played The Only Reason, I couldn't help but cry. That song hits home. The lyrics, the rhythm, the fans singing, basically everything, but especially the lyrics. I am going through a rough patch with one of my classmates and that song just reminded me of them

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When growing up I always though of becoming a therapist because I honestly think I am a good listener and can relate to what others feel, but it's a very calming job and I prefer the rush. (:

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Empathy Test - Bare My Soul Lyrics | Musixmatch

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Lyrics for Bare My Soul by Empathy Test. Steven said why not write something thats not so deep and meaningful, but the truth can be...

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5 Seconds of Summer give me such great memories that later on become stories. This year I got to tell my friends how Ashton Irwin, the drummer, got hairspray in his eyes from sweating to much. I can also proudly say that I lost my voice from screaming so much at their concert. They always give me a memory that I can tell.

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Oct. 2, 2018 was my third time seeing them live and the feeling is always the same and I believe many people can connect to the rush of feelings and emotions when going to a concert. Your heart racing, your palms sweating, smiling like crazy! The feeling is always the same and just gets better.

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There are books about empathy.

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Animals can feel empathy just like humans do. Empathy for each other, for us, and even for other species.

Empathy is feeling what others feel. Empathy is the ability to not only detect what others feel but also to experience that emotion yourself.. We humans can empathise with each other and other animals. When we empathise, we 'feel into' others and understand how they feel.

We do this with people all the time. We also do it with non-human animals.

Anyone who has cared for a companion animal such as a dog will likely empathise with them too - for example feeling their excitement at dinner time, boredom after a long day indoors, pain when they stand on a thorn.

We can also empathise with other animals such as when we feel the pleasure of new born lambs frolicking in the sun or the sadness of a gorilla trapped in a zoo.

But can other animals also empathise? Many people may think it obvious that non-human animals will empathise with each other. This conclusion may be drawn from personal experiences of simply observing animals' behaviour or from the fact that we are so physically similar in many ways. Many people ascribe empathy to their dogs.

It is thought that empathy is more likely to be present in social species. James Harris at Johns Hopkins University in the US believes that empathy is "an evolutionary mechanism to maintain social cohesion. If you're evolving and you're in a group, you're more sensitive to the pain of other members in a group."

Once believed by many to be only a human trait, scientists are now finding evidence of empathy in non-human animals, mainly in other primates such as chimpanzees, orangutans, but also in dogs, mice, and recently in chickens. Empathetic behaviour has also been reported in elephants.

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Empathy in Animals - Animal Behaviour - OneKind

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Animals can feel empathy just like humans do. Empathy for each other, for us, and even for other species. Empathy is feeling what others feel. Empathy is the ability to not only detect what others feel but also to experience that emotion yourself.. We humans can empathise with each other and other animals.

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Empathy for me means, able to understand someone and hear them out and show them that it will be okay, that things do get better, that they are not alone.

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The Fray - How To Save A Life (Official Video)

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

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Wedding Photojournalist - documentary wedding photographer Simon Atkins in Northamptonshire

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For the sort of couples who 'get' my photography the answer is likely to be the storytelling wedding photography that is my signature style, images of your loved ones, special moments between the two of you, your dad wiping away a tear during the ceremony, the look on your face as you say I do. That's what I love about this style of documentary wedding photography, it captures precious moments that can never be recreated.

I look at a lot of photography and have a huge collection of photography books, my favourites books are from photographers who capture genuine moments in time as I feel a connection with the image, the photographs stir an emotion. I've always been fascinated with storytelling photography and made a career as a newspaper photojournalist before I photographed weddings.

Storytelling or posed photography?

Take the above photograph as an example. The father of the bride had just walked into the room and it is the first time he has seen his daughter in her wedding dress, the image captures the feeling and emotion of the moment. I anticipated the moment and composed the image to include the reflection of the bride so I could show action and reaction together. If I wasn't a documentary photographer I might have set up an image showing dad smiling at the bride in her dress, but this photograph would not have any real emotions associated with it and the bride wouldn't feel a connection with that emotion when she looked at the image years later. I took just one frame of this, I didn't want to intrude on the moment or allow my presence to influence the scene. This is the art of storytelling photography.

One thing all these images have in common is they are real moments, nothing has been staged or posed, in most cases they are not even aware of the photographer. Each image has real memories attached to it for the people involved.

I'll leave you with this one image that I think sums up this style of wedding photography.

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Storytelling wedding photography: The art of Storytelling in weddings.

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For the sort of couples who 'get' my photography the answer is likely to be the storytelling wedding photography that is my signature style, images of your loved ones, special moments between the two of you, your dad wiping away a tear during the ceremony, the look on your face as you say I do.

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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

Dictionary Entries Near empathy

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Challenging Words You Should Know

Often used to describe "the march of time," what does inexorable mean?

Can you make 12 words with 7 letters?

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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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Are we becoming more cold hearted?

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The Loss of Empathy in Society Today | CHCP Blog

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There is a growing concern for the apparent decline of empathy in society today. A study by the University of Michigan found that college students today are showing less empathy than previous decades, a 40% decline in fact. That is an alarming number.

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In the BBC series Sherlock Holmes, Holmes pronounces to Watson that he is a 'I'm not a psychopath, I'm a high functioning sociopath, do your research', and this fascinating self assessment is one that gets many viewers questioning what precisely a sociopath is.

Sherlock's proclaiming himself a sociopath makes the term seem almost romantic and interesting rather than immediately disturbing when usually we would think of the traits of a sociopath as belonging to a villain, not a protagonist. Here we will look at what the term sociopath entails, whether it is indeed distinct from psychopathy, and whether Holmes was right to diagnose himself as one.
Qualities of a Sociopath
Someone who is described as a sociopath will have several traits that set them apart from those with no personality disorders. These traits include the following...

* Lack of empathy - Inability to feel sympathy for others or to understand the emotional consequences of their actions

* Cold, calculating nature - The ability and willingness to use others around them to personal gain

* Shallow emotions - Lack of real emotion in response to events, limited capacity to feel love

* Narcissism - A personality disorder in itself in which the individual feels strong love and admiration toward themselves (often a defense mechanism against deep seated low esteem)

* Grandiose self image - They might see themselves as someone who is superior to others and sometimes even experiences delusions. A sociopath might see themselves as a fitting ruler of a country or even the world, but might also have delusional beliefs such as seeing themselves as a God or having super powers

* Charming - While the sociopath is unable to fully understand the emotions of others, they are capable but rather highly adept at mimicking them and might appear to be charming and normal at first

* High IQ - Often sociopaths will exhibit a high IQ which they can use to manipulate and plan

* Manipulative - Sociopaths use their superficial charm and high IQ to manipulate others to get their ends, and their lack of empathy allows them to do this with no sense of guilt or remorse

* Secretive - Has little need for others and is highly secretive in their actions meaning

* Sexually deviant - The lack of remorse, guilt or emotional attachments means that the sociopath is happy to have affairs and to engage in questionable sexual activity without questioning their desires

* Sensitive to criticism - That said, like all narcissists, the sociopath will desire the approval of others and will be highly sensitive to criticisms. They often feel they deserve adulation and admiration of the world and might feel victimized

* Paranoid - Often their lack of understanding of emotion along with their incongruous self view means that they feel a lack of trust and paranoia

* Despotic/Authoritarian - Often the sociopath will see themselves as a necessary authority and will be in favor or totalitarian rule

* Lawfulness - Despite popular belief, a sociopath is not likely to be a problem to the law in later life, but rather will seek to find loopholes, to rise to a position of power, or to move to another area so that their behavior is tolerated

* Low tolerance for boredom - Sociopaths require constant stimulation and get quickly bored

* Impulsive behavior - A lack of regret and empathy means makes sociopaths more likely to make sudden rash decisions based on the current facts

* Compulsive lying - As part of their facade, and as a means to an end, sociopaths are compulsive liars and will rarely speak truthfully making them hard to pin down

* The MacDonald Triad - In childhood sociopaths will likely have demonstrated the 'MacDonald Triad' also known as the 'Triad of Sociopathy', traits that often are demonstrated in sociopaths from a young age. These include animal cruelty (pulling the wings off of flies etc, bed wetting, and pyromania (an obsession with fire setting)).

Sociopaths of course vary in their symptoms and might act differently in different cases. However their main trait is presenting themselves as having the same empathy feelings and emotions as others when in fact they lack this emotional capacity. They are thus cold and manipulative and rarely see any problem with their actions.
Profile of a Sociopath
A sociopath is likely to have been a 'problem child' and exhibited difficult behavior when younger. As they grow older they are likely to be highly successful which is a result of their willingness to get one over on their competition and colleagues, a desire and belief in success, and lack of risk aversion. Thus they are likely to be found in positions as stock brokers, as CEOs or even as politicians. Many despotic rulers such as Gaddafi could be described as sociopaths.

Alternatively a sociopath might be likely to live on the fringes of society having little interest in people. They could be seen as eccentric and will most likely be independently wealthy. In other words they will either conquer the system or avoid it entirely. They will of course have few close friends and are more likely to make contacts with those they can use, or those they see as equals and that they can admire. They will tend to be cold and manipulative in relationships and potentially emotionally abusive though this might not necessarily be purposefully vindictive.

In all cases though the psychopath will appear highly intelligent, charming and charismatic to talk to and it is only careful guardedness that can uncover their true motivations.
Differences Between Sociopaths and Psychopaths
There is little agreed difference between sociopathy and psychopathy, but some psychologists agree that psychopaths are more calculating and measured in their actions. The psychopath will be more likely to construct a complex scheme or plan and to carry it out, whereas the sociopath is more driven by impulsivity. This makes the psychopath more likely to commit crimes and generally the term psychopath is used more generally to describe the criminally insane rather than just the lack of empathy.

So is Sherlock Holmes a sociopath? Well in terms of his lack of emotion, and his calculating nature he can certainly be seen as one. Meanwhile he has a low tolerance for boredom, charisma and an unusually high IQ coupled with a certain measure of narcissism. However his camaraderie with Watson and his love affairs suggest he is capable of emotion, while he shows no despotism - suggesting he might be more akin to someone with Asperger's syndrome.

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In the BBC series Sherlock Holmes, Holmes pronounces to Watson that he is a 'I'm not a psychopath, I'm a high functioning sociopath, do your research', and this fascinating self assessment is one that gets many viewers questioning what precisely a sociopath is.

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Connecting with another person is one of the highest forms of social being for humans. At the heart of it is good storytelling. When I'm telling you a story, and you're engaged in it, you match your brain waves to mine. If I'm telling you a story with a familiar structure, your brain actually anticipates what I'm going to say next. The point is that that's good for both parties. We want to be in sync with other people. It's how we communicate well with others and it's why good storytelling is so powerful. That feeling of synchronization is a profoundly satisfying one. We want to hear stories, especially ones where we can guess what's going to happen next, a split second before we're told.

So, when communication works, we are literally aligned with one another, down to our very brain patterns. That's both inspiring and reassuring to know; when we communicate successfully, we are actually experiencing the same thing.

We are not alone.
How to Tell a Great Story
So how do you tell great stories or, more precisely, how to turn your passion, your message, your vision into a great story?

Everyone seems to understand that storytelling is important, because we're awash in data and information and can't remember it all. But we do remember stories.

Stories are even more important than that. They are how our brains work. For example, they are why we all feel that it's safer to drive than fly, even though the statistics prove the opposite. We remember the horrifying stories of plane crashes and forget the stats. That's because we attach emotions to events to create stories and memories. Our brains are constructed that way. So storytelling is essential if you want to use the brain the way it's meant to be used. We remember the emotional, the particular, and the violent especially. We forget the boring, the general, and the anodyne.

But let's start with what storytelling is not. Let's clear away the detritus and get to the core.
Stories Are Not about Beginnings, Middles, and Ends
My favorite wrong cliché about storytelling is the oft-cited "it has a beginning, middle, and an end." Well, yes. But so do pencils. As a definition, this one is not specific enough to be helpful. Airplane flights, dentist appointments, and pencils all have beginnings, middles, and ends, but they are not stories. They might become the fodder for stories, but stories in themselves they are not.

Forget this one. It's not helpful.
Stories Are Not Anecdotes
My next favorite spurious cliché about storytelling is that what happened the last time you visited a client site is a story. It's not, unless a conflict developed at your client site, leading to a crisis, it was resolved in some way, and someone-the hero-changed deeply and profoundly because of it. Rather, it's an anecdote. We relate anecdotes to each other all the time- I was at the drugstore and guess who I saw? My old college buddy Aaron! That's an anecdote, or at least the beginning of one. It may even be fascinating, but it's not a story.
More next time on what a story is and is not.

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Connecting with another person is one of the highest forms of social being for humans. At the heart of it is good storytelling. When I'm telling you a story, and you're engaged in it, you match your brain waves to mine.