There are no such things as Empaths

[Seafog]

Ffs.
Empathy ....some of us have more empathy than others, but it doesn't make you a fucking empath!
If you have sympathy for people, would you go around saying you are a sympath?

Just say , "I have so much empathy" or "I am really sensitive to people's emotional state."

Making up a word to try and make yourself sound more special makes me think you're attention seeking twat.

AIBU?

Out of interest - has anyone ever done the "Are you an Empath?" quiz and been told - nope, you're about as sensitive as a yard of lard?
I've just done several and guess what? I'm one too! What a surprise.

I wonder how am empath would feel to hear someone say 'I'm one of the most creative people' or 'I'm one of the wisest people'. I think most of us would consider them a bit of a twat...

@Grendalsmum

Out of interest - has anyone ever done the "Are you an Empath?" quiz and been told - nope, you're about as sensitive as a yard of lard? I've just done several and guess what? I'm one too! What a surprise.

bahaha just did one and looks like I'm an Empath too! :p

@CouldIhaveaword

OP, I can sense your irritation and frustration. You have a longing for.. yes...a glass of wine. Also you're worried about someones christmas present. Too big? No, wrong colour.

We exist.

I am really tired but I can't figure out if this poster is serious or taking the piss.

@100problems

I'm afraid you lost me when you stated your source as psychotherapists from Tik Tok.

Amen to that.

@IncompleteSenten

Of course you shouldn't disclose other people's information. Quite right that that would be inappropriate. You could give an example of something analogous instead. I think that would be a really interesting insight into the perceived differences. Maybe people would recognise times they've been either the empath or the, I can't think of a word, the oblivious I guess.

I don't think you're either an empath or oblivious. What we are talking about is emotional intelligence, which is a scale. Some people might have very little emotional intelligence and some may have a lot.

The key thing with emotional intelligence is though, to actually be intelligent you must be able to doubt your instincts. You have to be able to examine from all angles your response to someone else's mood. Assuming that you know what someone else is feeling is a sign of low emotional intelligence. That is why there are numerous posts on here saying that the only self proclaimed empaths they've known have been self absorbed and generally the opposite of how they view themselves.

@IncompleteSenten

Of course you shouldn't disclose other people's information. Quite right that that would be inappropriate. You could give an example of something analogous instead. I think that would be a really interesting insight into the perceived differences. Maybe people would recognise times they've been either the empath or the, I can't think of a word, the oblivious I guess.

Agree with the above.

Surely you could give examples without disclosing personal information?

This reminds me of that popular psychological experiment where a group of volunteers undergo a personality test and they are given a description of their personality based on that. They all rate the results based on how accurate they are and rate it highly for how some of their most unique and unusual personality traits are included. The big reveal is that they are all given the same description and actually the inner thoughts and the way that they feel about themselves are identical to 90% of the population.

I wonder if there is an element of that in this as the empaths here seem to be basing their belief on their own perception of how they respond to external stimuli with little/no evidence of whether that is in line with how others feel as well (particularly as most seem to be saying that it's not something they discuss except with other empaths, but how do you identify other empaths unless you are discussing it?).

mindhacks.com/2009/11/16/you-are-kind-strong-willed-but-can-be-self-critical/

@RobertSmithsLipstick

That's everyone then .

That’s it. But if everyone is special then no one is so some people have to think that sad things making them sad is a very special gift that only they have.

@ScottishAngryBird

psychologia.co/empathy-test/

This is the link to test if you’re an empath, just incase anyone wants to try for a laugh

That test is bollocks. Do sad things make you sad? Do you get upset seeing an injured animal.

Basically unless you are a psychopath then of course it does. Filling out a Cosmo quiz isn’t science.

That test is bollocks. Do sad things make you sad? Do you get upset seeing an injured animal.

Basically unless you are a psychopath then of course it does. Filling out a Cosmo quiz isn’t science.

This question, I mean ffs

Whenever I hear a child cry, I wonder if anything’s wrong.

I think I am hyper sensitive to other people's emotions - I had to be when I was little, so that I could anticipate/avoid their anger and emotional meltdowns. It isn't a good thing - I wish I wasn't like this. It's a pain and has been detrimental to relationships in the past. I've never thought of myself in terms of being an empath though.

All l am going to say is " you can't teach a pig to sing" and leave it at that.
The Empath forums are a world away from this one, for sure.

@Moonface123

All l am going to say is " you can't teach a pig to sing" and leave it at that. The Empath forums are a world away from this one, for sure.

I bet they are

You are surprised I don't want to reel off personal stories?
Honestly, these replies are saying quite a lot here.

Your empath skills don't extend to detecting humour or sarcasm, I see!

@Grendalsmum

Out of interest - has anyone ever done the "Are you an Empath?" quiz and been told - nope, you're about as sensitive as a yard of lard? I've just done several and guess what? I'm one too! What a surprise.

I mean I think anyone who types in ‘am I am empath buzzfeed quiz’ will answer the questions to ensure that they are. It’s like if I take a hogwarts quiz I will inevitably be a ravenclaw because I will answer the questions to ensure that I am.

@AryaStarkWolf

That test is bollocks. Do sad things make you sad? Do you get upset seeing an injured animal.

Basically unless you are a psychopath then of course it does. Filling out a Cosmo quiz isn’t science.

This question, I mean ffs

Whenever I hear a child cry, I wonder if anything’s wrong.

😂

Basically even Hannibal Lecter would be an empath based on the online tests. Sad things sometimes make him sad. If he saw someone crying he would likely wonder if something was wrong with them.

How many times do we have to state that no empaths actually think they ARE special - there is just a part of their personality that they are more aware of! Please actually read the replies.

But you clearly do think you are special because otherwise why would you attach a label to perfectly ordinary human behaviour.
It’s not like saying you are blonde/a parent/a knitter because they are things that are extra to normal behaviour. This is like saying you have a condition that means a couple of times a minute you have to inflate your lungs.

Basically even Hannibal Lecter would be an empath based on the online tests. Sad things sometimes make him sad. If he saw someone crying he would likely wonder if something was wrong with them.

It’s amazing how low the bar is set for ‘empathy’ when just wondering if something is wrong applies. You could have no feelings at all or any sense of the baby as a person with feelings and still score ‘empath’ by that measure, so long as you have some curiosity about whether there might be something going on. 🤦🏻‍♀️

@Moonface123

All l am going to say is " you can't teach a pig to sing" and leave it at that. The Empath forums are a world away from this one, for sure.

I literally don’t know what side of the argument you are on.

I can't get on that quiz site. It says unsupported protocol or something but does it seriously ask if sad things make you feel sad? 😂😂

Arguably the best questions on that test aren’t even about empathy. They’re about how poorly you regulate your own emotions and a bunch of random social things (I play with other people’s children - presumably not randomly and without a reason to).

There’s almost nothing in there about being able to see things from another’s perspective.

And that site also has a test for ‘Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric, and Melancholic Personality Types’. Because that’s current psychological thinking.

Wait while I get the leeches out.

Oh wow, there really are forums for "empaths." Thank you Moonface123 for the new source of entertainment.

My favourite post so far:

Is being an empath special? Maybe. Does it make is better? No. Personally I think it's humanities evolutionary goal.

Are those forums full of people saying how devastated they are about terrible things happening to other people, stories in the news for example, and all comforting each other about how hard they've been crying?