From: United Press International
Empathy may be negated by political party
April 17, 2012
United Press International:
People may lack empathy for those who are hungry or cold if they perceive them to be of another political party, U.S. researchers said.
Study co-authors Ed O’Brien and Phoebe C. Ellsworth, both of the University of Michigan, and colleagues approached people who were waiting for a bus in winter in Ann Arbor, Mich. Each was given a short story to read about a person who went hiking in winter but got lost with no food, water or extra clothes.
In one version of the story, the hiker was a left-wing, pro-gay rights Democrat, while in another it was a Republican proponent of traditional marriage.
More of our Members in the Media >
APS regularly opens certain online articles for discussion on our website. Effective February 2021, you must be a logged-in APS member to post comments. By posting a comment, you agree to our Community Guidelines and the display of your profile information, including your name and affiliation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations present in article comments are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of APS or the article’s author. For more information, please see our Community Guidelines.
Please login with your APS account to comment.