Emotional Empathy in the Social Regulation of Distress
A Dyadic Approach
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21453565 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Casey L Brown (0000-0002-1827-7521, University of California, Berkeley, corresponding author), Tessa V West (New York University, New York City, USA), Amy H Sanchez (University of California, Berkeley), Wendy Berry Mendes (0000-0003-4453-1201, University of California, San Francisco, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 1004-1019 |
| Publication date | 2021-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0146-1672 • E-ISSN: 1552-7433 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0146167220953987 |
| PMID | 32936053 |
| OpenAlex | W3087558609 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 79 |
Although research suggests distressed individuals benefit from others’ empathy, it is unclear how an individual’s level of empathy influences dyadic responses during emotional situations. In the current study, female participants ( N = 140; 70 dyads) were paired with a stranger. One member of each dyad (the experiencer) was randomly assigned to undergo a stressful task and disclose negative personal experiences to their partner (the listener). Experiencers paired with listeners higher in dispositional emotional empathy had less negative affect during emotional disclosure and lower sympathetic nervous system reactivity during the stressful task and disclosure. Listeners higher in emotional empathy reported more negative affect in response to their partner’s distress. Furthermore, for listeners higher in emotional empathy, those who more accurately rated their partner’s emotions were more physiologically influenced by their partners. Findings shed light on interpersonal functions of empathy and suggest a stranger’s level of emotional empathy regulates distressed partner’s emotions and physiology
Affect (linguistics) · Developmental psychology · Distress · Dyad · Empathy · Interpersonal communication · Personal distress · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Communication · Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,4 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2026 (6) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |