Neuroscientist reveals Americans are in an ‘empathy’ crisis and there’s one main reason why

We've built a modern world that is flourishing with advanced technologies, but certainly not with values. We've built a world where almost everybody is obsessed with materialistic gains, often at the expense of humanity. In fact, Dr. Brianna J. Migliore (@dysregulationnation), a neuroscientist, believes that we, particularly Americans, have built a world that lacks empathy, and it all comes down to one underlying cause. In her video posted on December 1, Dr. J. Migliore explained why America is in an empathy crisis, and no, it's not because people are becoming more cruel.

Research led by Sara H. Konrath, a social psychologist, found that Americans' tendency to empathize with others has changed over time. The data collected between 1979 and 2009 used the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) to measure four aspects of empathy: "empathic concern," "perspective taking," "fantasy," and "personal distress." Over the years, researchers realized that empathy had decreased after the year 2000. Dr. J. Migliore cited research of nearly 14,000 American students to explain the concerning societal shift. There is not one but multiple studies that support the notion of declining empathy-related traits in society. In another experiment, researchers created a simple "Ascent of Man" scale and asked people to rate how "evolved" they think different groups are. This simple research found how easily people dehumanize a group. Once they start feeling someone is lesser than them, they stop seeing them as fully human, leading to less empathy in society. Political polarization is also a reason why people have grown less empathetic. The study found that most Americans tend to develop a hatred for people supporting the opposite political party; in fact, people aren't even happy if a family member marries someone from the opposite political party.

Dr. J. Migliore also cited other research, "Political sectarianism in America," "Declines in Trust in Others and Confidence in Institutions Among American Adults and Late Adolescents, and "Loneliness in the United States," to explain the decrease in empathetic nature in society. Dr. J. Migliore acknowledged the studies and narrowed them down to two major forces that are to be blamed. First, it's the normalization of harm, and second, nervous system overwhelm. She shared the Stanley Milgram experiment, where people administered electric shocks to another person because an authority figure instructed them to do so. Dr. J. Migliore explained how it is relevant to the current situation. She said the public sees people in authority dehumanize certain groups like the immigrants, LGBTQ+ community, etc, and follow in their footsteps. "Cruelty stops feeling alarming and starts feeling normal," she added.

Next, Dr. J. Migliore moved on to the "nervous system overwhelm," and explained how when we experience multiple things at once, empathy slowly takes a backseat. "When we are constantly in survival mode, our brain shifts resources away from reflection, curiosity, and perspective-taking and towards vigilance and self-protection. Empathy becomes harder not because we are uncaring, but because we are overloaded," she explained. However, Dr. J. Migliore said that it's not impossible to restore empathy, as it isn't a fixed personality trait, and that it can change according to what our surroundings encourage. So if we built a society that values stability, safety, fairness, and equality, then people can switch off their survival mode, thus fostering empathy. 

Meanwhile, Dr. J. Migliore's video went viral, and within 24 hours, it received over 13k views online. Reacting to it, @lorraine.vuelta commented, "Thank you so much for this video. I think it makes complete sense that if we are overwhelmed, there isn't enough energy to allow empathy to flourish." @marylouciolfi wrote, "Important lessons here for individual families as well. At a micro level, we can try to bring more safety and stability to our homes and generate more space for reflection and empathy. It is easier said than done, surely, in these chaotic times." Similarly, @peeiradoslobos shared, "As a trans woman, I can confirm that the average person is hateful garbage, bigotry and ignorant that lacks empathy for anyone different. We deserve whatever pain this society goes through in the coming years."

You can follow Dr. Brianna J. Migliore (@dysregulationnation) on Instagram for lifestyle content.

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