Is Empathy Learnable

005: Is empathy learnable or are we born with or without it?

Question: "As one with a psychology background, I was trained to believe that empathy is something you have or have not. And there isn't much you can do to acquire it past your formative childhood years. Like Trump is an extreme case of narcissism without an ounce of empathy. No way that I can see for him to change?"

Is Empathy a Learnable Trait?

Natalie Engelbrecht, psychotherapist,

Feb 16, 2017

"Empathy is a habit that is a learned skill, and also innate. Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York identified that the anterior insular cortex, is the activity center of human empathy, whereas other areas of the brain are not. Research also supports that it can be learned. Mindfulness has certain practices, such as Loving-Kindness, Forgiveness and Compassion, in which people can learn to develop or increase their empathy."