I score extremely high on just about every introversion test that’s out there. I’ve been that way since I was little. As a teen, I remember sitting in my room, listening to music, and thinking about life, the universe, and everything (figuratively and literally). Truth be told, I still value the time I can be alone to read, listen to Read more…
In previous posts, I have mentioned Karen Armstrong’s book Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life. In it, she discusses the importance of compassion. She suggests that, while everyone has the intrinsic ability to be compassionate, we must work hard to expand our capacity for it. While reading, I have been trying to pay attention to my own level of compassion. When does Read more…
Here at CI, we’ve talked a lot about the importance of empathy. Here’s some recent research to back it up. Researchers from Harvard Medical School and Bryn Mawr College examined empathy in 156 couples. In particular they were interested if people needed to be accurate in their attempts at empathy (i.e., really know how their partner was feeling) in order to Read more…
We talk a lot on CI about empathy. And it’s not just us, it seems to be an important point anywhere you look: The video, almost without knowing it, demonstrates two important components of empathy: cognitive empathy and affective empathy. Stick with me for just a minute here. Cognitive empathy is having an understanding, intellectually, of what someone is feeling. Read more…
Recently I read a blog post, The Secret Behind a Great Person which told the story of Theo van Gogh. History has placed Theo in the shadows of his older brother, Vincent van Gogh. It seems that without Theo, Vincent would not have been able to produce his works of art. Theo supported Vincent financially as well as emotionally. Donald Latumahina writes, “There Read more…
