Empathy Represses Analytic Thought, and Vice Versa 293
hessian sends this quote from a Case Western Reserve University news release:
"New research shows a simple reason why even the most intelligent, complex brains can be taken by a swindler's story – one that upon a second look offers clues it was false. When the brain fires up the network of neurons that allows us to empathize, it suppresses the network used for analysis, a pivotal study led by a Case Western Reserve University researcher shows (abstract). ... At rest, our brains cycle between the social and analytical networks. But when presented with a task, healthy adults engage the appropriate neural pathway, the researchers found. The study shows for the first time that we have a built-in neural constraint on our ability to be both empathetic and analytic at the same time. The work suggests that established theories about two competing networks within the brain must be revised. More, it provides insights into the operation of a healthy mind versus those of the mentally ill or developmentally disabled."
Re:Paradox. (Score:2, Informative)
Empathy is the capacity to recognize feelings that are being experienced by another sentient being, not necessarily to want good things for them.
You can imagine what it is like to be in another person's shoes without caring about the person currently in them.
No Paradox.
Re:Finally explains it (Score:5, Informative)