The Empathic Brain: The Power of Human Connection

The empathic brain configures in the human being an awakening towards the emotions and needs of others. It is the evolutionary result of our socialization, a bond aimed at connecting between us to live together with greater harmony, resolve conflicts and guarantee our survival. Empathy is (or should be) that competence with which to guarantee our well-being.

We say “should” for a very specific reason. Most of us know that empathy does not always guarantee humanitarian action. People are capable of intuiting and reading the emotions of those in front of us and that, without a doubt, is wonderful. We perceive who is suffering, we notice the fear, we read the anguish in other faces… However, After putting ourselves in the shoes of others, we do not always take the step towards prosocial behavior, we do not always provide help.

Thus, as well-known neurologists such as Christian Keysers, from the Netherlands Institute of Neurology, explain to us, We still know very little about what has been labeled the empathic brain.. The discovery of mirror cells at the end of the 90s by Giacomo Rizzolatti made us believe for a moment that human beings had reached that evolutionary link that many wanted to call homo empathicus.

However, our behavior remains quite individualistic. Empathy induces us to connect with each other, to feel other people’s emotions as our own. It offers us extraordinary power, we know it… and despite this, we do not use it with total effectiveness. As some scientists remind us, we lack an authentic commitment to empathy, because it is not enough to just feel it, we must instrumentalize it. Let’s see it below.

The empathic brain and its purpose

Ortega y Gasset already said it: without the other, without that other person who is not me, the human being could not understand himself, nor would we understand the concept of society.. The man, He said, appears in sociability as the Other, alternating with the One and, in turn, with the reciprocating one. This, which in itself seems like a play on words, configures a reality that goes beyond the philosophical, to undoubtedly reach the psychological and neurological.

Mirror neurons, as Dr. Keysers previously mentioned, revealed to us, were the ones that shaped our idea of ​​civilization.. And they did it by becoming aware of the other, the one whom I observe, the one whom I imitate and in turn in whom I see myself reflected. The empathic brain allows us not only to understand the point of view of whoever is in front of us. It also helps us to anticipate intentions or needs because, in some way, we see ourselves reflected in others, because for our brain, “others” are also extensions of ourselves.

If we now ask ourselves what the real purpose of empathy is, it can be said that there is no single answer. We know that no capacity connects us to each other in such a fabulous way. However, Well-known behavioral neurologists Vilayanur Ramachandran point out to us that the purpose of the empathic brain is not always to generate good for others.we do not always seek to help or promote humanitarian action.

Because empathy is not synonymous with sympathy, and often, as is typical in every social scenario, we have other types of interests…

The fact of being able to introduce ourselves to other people’s perspectives, to see the world through other people’s eyes, is in turn a weapon of power. It allows us to build very complex mental models with which to know, for example, if that individual before me has bad intentions. Furthermore, we can even anticipate reactions or use weaknesses to our advantage to manipulate people, to give flight to their emotions for our own benefit.

Let’s put empathy in our favor to advance as a species

Dr. Ramachandran reminds us that mirror neurons represented a fabulous genetic leap in our species. Thus, and although many animals also have empathic abilities, in us these specialized cells represented a sensational advance and led to the emergence of culture, society and civilization.

Our consciousness expanded, our thinking became more abstract and the way we related became more sophisticated. At times cruel and violent, we know, but also more humane, aimed at promoting greater well-being, order, balance. The empathic brain is therefore the essence of our social relationships and also of our learning.the one that little by little will allow us to move in the right direction.

Now, as we have pointed out, empathy is not always followed by a prosocial act. Each person shows different levels of empathy, mirror neurons do not function in the same way in all human beings and this affects social interaction, our ability to solve problems, our coexistence… There are scientists who point to the fact that Mirror neurons have an evolutionary component and therefore, their power can advance generation after generation…

Who knows if we will reach that day when that power of connection finally provides us with a reality with greater harmony, balance and respect between all of us.

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