作者名称 国旗国籍

Todd vip

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2020.01.08 06:32

Sympathy vs Empathy
Let's talk about the difference between

"sympathy" and "empathy." These two words are very similar and many people use them as synonyms. However, they do have different meanings. 
Sympathy and empathy are both feelings you may have when something bad happens to someone else, but empathy is a much deeper feeling than sympathy. 
Let's look at each word separately.
<Sympathy<
Sympathy is a feeling you have when something bad happens to someone else. It is a feeling of understanding. You understand that they went through in a bad time, and you feel sad for them. If you feel sympathetic, you may want to help the person feel better. 
Examples:
* I am sorry that your dog died. Can I give you a hug?
* I am sorry for your loss. Is there anything I can do to help?
* I heard that you broke up with your boyfriend. Do you want to grab a cup of coffee and talk about it?
* Nick sent her flowers because she was in the hospital. He wanted to make her feel better.

>Empathy<
Empathy is closely related to sympathy. But empathy is a much deeper emotion or feeling. Empathy is when you feel the same emotions as someone else. For example, if you hear that your neighbor's dog died, and you feel very sad like it happened to you, then you have empathy for your neighbor. You share the same feelings.
Examples:
* I am sorry that your dog died. I understand how you feel because my cat died last year. I was very sad. You must be very sad, too.
* I am sorry for your loss. I understand exactly how you feel.
* I heard that you broke up with your boyfriend. My boyfriend left me a few months ago. He broke my heart!
* When she was in the hospital, Nick sat by her side every day. He remembered the time he was alone in the hospital after his surgery. He didn't want her to feel alone like he did.
It is possible to have sympathy and empathy at the same time.
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Comments

  • Lavender-莲雾 2020.01.08 06:37

    CN
    EN

    同情心和同理心
  • Kathy 2020.01.08 06:37

    CN
    EN

    Thank you for sharing 👍
  • Sunrise 2020.01.08 06:44

    VI
    EN

    I was confused until I read your explanation. Thank you for shedding light on it.
  • Emily 2020.01.08 06:57

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    @Todd @ wow! We learned this last weekend! I remembered😊
  • Zane 2020.01.08 07:36

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    EN

    Those two words makes me confused for a long time.now i get them 。 Thx for sharing 😄
  • Emma Wang 2020.01.08 07:43

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    @Lavender-莲雾 vivid
  • Lavender-莲雾 2020.01.08 07:51

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    @Emma Wang I guess it should be Vividly 😃
  • flora 2020.01.08 08:32

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    第一个 共情 第二个 同情
  • Lucky 2020.01.08 11:48

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    同情 共情
  • huyen 2020.01.08 14:06

    VI
    EN

    Thank you for sharing 😊
  • Youichi 2020.01.09 04:58

    JP
    EN

    I’ve never had a situation to use empathy and this is very clear to understand both meanings. I appreciate your post, thank you so much!

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