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The Key to Becoming More Empathetic
Ask yourself a simple question
I don’t typically follow sports, except for the week the Milwaukee Bucks competed in the NBA finals. Watching the games in my Milwaukee home was exciting, but the really fun part came between the games. No matter where I went in the city, I felt connected to people, whether a stranger at the grocery store, my elderly neighbor, or another parent at my kids’ day camp. For that week, a city that’s normally divided had one thing in common: We were all Bucks fans.
This temporary kinship isn’t just an easy in-road small talk at the coffee shop. Feeling like you share an identity or goal can actually change the way you interact with people on a deeper, important level. The more connected you feel to someone, the more you’ll want to understand them — and as a result, you’ll probably be more cooperative and kind, too.
Research suggests we tend to discriminate against people we label as in an “out group” and we prefer those who are in an “in group.” In other words, we give preferential treatment people who are like us. That bias may be hard-wired, but it’s not as hopeless as it sounds. At any time, any of us can find similarities that help us want to understand others, and as a result, help them.
