How empathy improves our knowledge of the world

Empathizing with an individual can unlock our care and understanding for an entire group. A study conducted in the 1990s showed that people who empathized with Julie, a person suffering from AIDS, not only cared for her but also cared more about people with AIDS in general. This suggests that relationships are not just connections between individuals but also keys that unlock our ability to connect with entire groups of people. Building empathy with an individual can have positive spillover effects for how we think about communities worldwide. It is not just about gaining new perspectives or knowledge, but also about learning emotionally and understanding what others care about, making it easier for us to care as well.