An empathic reaction is a knot in the stomach, tears, unexplained emotion unrelated to what I am rationally thinking. Sympathy, of course, is related to empathy, else you could dismiss a tragic story or the hurt someone is describing. It is more helpful for me to think of sympathy and empathy being connected by a line, so we might never have one without a bit of the other. We should be far more worried about the opposites–apathy and antipathy, if you will. Support the show