Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

How to preserve empathy in medicine

Helen Riess, MD
Conditions
October 1, 2021
69 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

An excerpt from The Empathy Effect: Seven Neuroscience-Based Keys for Transforming the Way We Live, Love, Work, and Connect Across Differences.

“Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.”

What picture do you see when you read this quote from Mother Theresa? Do you see an orphaned child living in poverty? Or, maybe a homeless person begging on a corner?

Depending on the current context your own life provides, and even your mood, you are likely experiencing at least a twinge of empathic concern. We relate to loneliness, hunger, and isolation even if we never experience them. However, some of us will muster up very little emotion when we read these words. Does this mean you don’t care? Maybe. Or it could be that you’re having a really bad day with no more energy to devote to the misfortune of others.

The truth is there are times when our empathic capacity is activated and other times when it isn’t. Some of us tend to feel a wave of compassion often. Others are tougher nuts to crack emotionally. Just like every other human emotional and neurological capacity, there is a continuum for empathy, with most of us clustered around the center. Each day, depending on a host of factors, including mood, hunger and sleep, and level of responsibilities you carry, you slide a notch or two up or down this scale.

Imaging individuality

In the last decade, researchers have explored the role of “shared neural networks” in the empathic response. Studies demonstrated that the human brain’s pain matrix is activated by our own pain as well as by witnessing others’ pain. What all this fascinating science shows is that on a profound level, we are all connected neurobiologically far more than we previously realized. Consciously or not, our personal experience of the pain of others motivates us to engage in cooperative behaviors that are necessary for the survival of our species, and the possibilities for mutual aid and collaborative problem solving abound. But this resonance can be emphasized or blunted by many factors.
The more we relate directly to others and to their lived experience, the more we can empathize. The people we relate to the most are those we consider our “in group.” Psychologists call our preference for those who are more familiar to us “in-group bias.” Humans have evolved for thousands of years and lived primarily in small communities. Our historic survival depended upon aligning ourselves with our in-groups – people who looked like us, spoke the same language, ate the same foods, worshiped the same god, and much more. Even today, in a connected, digital world, we humans often act locally instead of globally.

The in-group legacy becomes a problem when it limits our capacity to experience empathy for people who don’t share our own characteristics – the so-called “out groups.” Some people automatically consider anyone with a different skin color from their own an out-group. Other people automatically out-group people of other nationalities, political affiliation, gender, lifestyle, religion – the list goes on.

In-group bias is so ingrained and subliminal that most of us struggle to be objective. Studies show that it takes longer for white subjects to accurately identify the emotional expression on a Black face, and that it is easy to confuse fear with anger. This racially biased time-lapse has extremely serious implications for how police respond to an emotional expression on a Black face. It could mean the difference between life and death. Such differences in face perception may influence how police treat suspects to how much time physicians try to understand their patients. Our society cannot afford to continue making these devastating mistakes.

My own research has shown how empathy training can help doctors and other professionals relate to each other and communicate with patients from unfamiliar communities. Opportunities to walk in the shoes of others humanize patients as fellow human beings. While no exercise or simulation can provide the full experience of being disabled, they can enlighten us about the challenges people face. Most of us can’t conceive of getting on a bus in a wheelchair and the agony of overhearing the hostile mutterings from other passengers, annoyed at being delayed. To feel like an inconvenience to others is a tremendous burden to bear on top of the disability itself.

Empathy killers

For some people, especially those in the caretaking professions, running low on empathy can become an occupational hazard known as “compassion fatigue.” Some can create self-protective boundaries to distinguish their own feelings from those of others. Others may become increasingly more upset when witnessing other people’s pain. One of the ways we teach appropriate empathic responses is by strengthening the cognitive aspects of empathy while offering strategies for tamping down excessive emotional responses and emphasizing the importance of self-empathy.

In the face of a global pandemic, when health care professionals are overwhelmed and physically and emotionally exhausted, federal and state policies need to be put in place to protect and support health care workers from the skyrocketing epidemic of burnout that is threatening both clinicians and patients. There are limits to what individuals can do to preserve empathy without policies that relieve administrative burdens, support mental and physical health, and provide incentives for professionals and the general population to participate in changing lifetime habits that support their well-being,

Roadblocks to empathy

No matter how extensive or well-developed your capacity for empathy may be, you cannot feel empathy for everyone all the time. Whether we’re talking about doctors who have never been patients, or clinicians who have never faced discrimination, we know that people’s ideas can change, when properly educated and supported.

In a randomized, controlled trial, one of the most exciting findings within my own research into the malleability of empathy looked at physicians of six different medical and surgical specialties. Using the E.M.P.A.T.H.Y.(R) acronym and other techniques, physicians learned how to accurately “read” their patients’ states of emotion and respond more empathically. Post-intervention, the training group received significantly higher patient satisfaction scores than the control group.

The good news about our research is that it showed that we can be hopeful about changing the culture of medicine. We now have evidence-based tools to accomplish this. There is hope for a brighter future in health care and all relationships when empathic principles are learned and practiced at the local, regional, and societal levels.

Helen Riess is a psychiatrist and author of The Empathy Effect: Seven Neuroscience-Based Keys for Transforming the Way We Live, Love, Work, and Connect Across Differences. 

 Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

How to get patients vaccinated against COVID-19 [PODCAST]

September 30, 2021 Kevin 0
…
Next

To the patient who left a negative physician review

October 1, 2021 Kevin 16
…

Tagged as: Psychiatry

Post navigation

< Previous Post
How to get patients vaccinated against COVID-19 [PODCAST]
Next Post >
To the patient who left a negative physician review

More by Helen Riess, MD

  • The role of empathy in improving patient care and decreasing medical liability

    Helen Riess, MD

Related Posts

  • The magic of medicine stems from the empathy of one heart opening itself to another

    Claire Brown
  • How social media can advance humanism in medicine

    Pooja Lakshmin, MD
  • The difference between learning medicine and doing medicine

    Steven Zhang, MD
  • KevinMD at the Richmond Academy of Medicine

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Medicine won’t keep you warm at night

    Anonymous
  • Delivering unpalatable truths in medicine

    Samantha Cheng

More in Conditions

  • How modern lifestyle changes are disrupting our immune systems

    Kara Wada, MD
  • Overcoming the lies of depression: Senator John Fetterman’s struggle with mental health

    Harvey Max Chochinov, MD, PhD
  • Proposed USPSTF guideline update: Advocating for earlier breast cancer screening at age 40

    Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
  • The rising threat of lung cancer in Asian American female nonsmokers

    Alice S. Y. Lee, MD
  • Urgent innovation needed to address growing mental health crisis among children and families

    Monika Roots, MD
  • The importance of listening in health care: a mother’s journey advocating for children with chronic Lyme disease

    Cheryl Lazarus
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • The rising threat of lung cancer in Asian American female nonsmokers

      Alice S. Y. Lee, MD | Conditions
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Georgia’s new law promoting truth and transparency in health care credentials

      Carmen Kavali, MD | Policy
    • The tragic story of Mr. G: a painful journey towards understanding suicide

      William Lynes, MD | Physician
    • Decoding name displays in health care: Privacy, identification, and compliance unveiled

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • Proactive risk management: a game-changer in preventing physician burnout

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • An inspiring tribute to an exceptional radiologist who made a lasting impact

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
    • The hidden factor in physician burnout: How the climate crisis is contributing to the erosion of well-being

      Elizabeth Cerceo, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How healthy eating can protect us from extreme weather

      R. Jason Newsom, MD, MPH | Policy
    • Unfilled residency spots and the future of emergency medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How excessively regulating doctors can harm patients

      Richard Gunderman, MD, PhD and James Lynch, MD | Physician
    • AI-driven solutions for burnout, patient empathy, and worker shortage

      Harry Severance, MD | Tech
    • How modern lifestyle changes are disrupting our immune systems

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • Empathy and awareness: Unveiling the hidden dangers of food allergies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Hooray! A Clearer Estimate of Your Risk for Death Is Around the Corner
  • Transapical Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement Trial Raises Questions
  • Americans With Heart Disease Less Likely to Use Wearable Devices
  • Residents, Fellows at Mass General Brigham Vote to Unionize
  • Alzheimer's Drug Clears Major Hurdle Toward Full Approval

Meeting Coverage

  • Transapical Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement Trial Raises Questions
  • MitraClip Shines in Real-World, Core-Lab Data
  • Risankizumab Safe in Older Crohn's Disease Patients
  • How to Better Identify HER2-Low Breast Cancer
  • Higher Fetal Cortisol Levels Linked to Sleep Onset Delays
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • The rising threat of lung cancer in Asian American female nonsmokers

      Alice S. Y. Lee, MD | Conditions
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Georgia’s new law promoting truth and transparency in health care credentials

      Carmen Kavali, MD | Policy
    • The tragic story of Mr. G: a painful journey towards understanding suicide

      William Lynes, MD | Physician
    • Decoding name displays in health care: Privacy, identification, and compliance unveiled

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • Proactive risk management: a game-changer in preventing physician burnout

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • An inspiring tribute to an exceptional radiologist who made a lasting impact

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
    • The hidden factor in physician burnout: How the climate crisis is contributing to the erosion of well-being

      Elizabeth Cerceo, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How healthy eating can protect us from extreme weather

      R. Jason Newsom, MD, MPH | Policy
    • Unfilled residency spots and the future of emergency medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How excessively regulating doctors can harm patients

      Richard Gunderman, MD, PhD and James Lynch, MD | Physician
    • AI-driven solutions for burnout, patient empathy, and worker shortage

      Harry Severance, MD | Tech
    • How modern lifestyle changes are disrupting our immune systems

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • Empathy and awareness: Unveiling the hidden dangers of food allergies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

How to preserve empathy in medicine
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...