How caring empathy improves your life

Deanna Troi, the empath counselor on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” felt distress when her powers of empathy were taken over by aliens (happened often) who wanted to speak through her.

But when she could use her powers of empathy to help others overcome physical and emotional problems, she glowed with joy.

Funny thing, that is precisely what a new study in the journal Neuron found when researchers from the University of Colorado, Boulder used functional MRIs to track brain activity in response to alarming events. They saw empathic distress and empathetic care trigger distinct brain patterns. Empathy-with-distress — you feel terrible for the person(s) going through a negative experience — makes you want to avoid dealing with the situation. Empathy-with-care, on the other hand, is evoked when you act to help the person or situation. In short, no use crying over spilled milk; just help clean it up.

You’ll feel better, and so will the person in crisis.

The research team is now evaluating a four-week program of meditation to see if such a routine can help caretaking professionals feel less empathy-with-distress and more empathy-with-care. That should help. Regularly meditating also can help you cope with upsetting world events, violence (even at a distance) or strife in your own life or the lives of those close to you. So can volunteering with groups that help others on a daily basis. Research shows that such generosity eases stress, makes you healthier and happier and gives you a younger RealAge.