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The Empathy Quotient - How Empathetic Are You?

Melon

Melon

Banned
You've heard of the IQ test, but have you heard of the EQ test? The Empathy Quotient test is a questionnaire to measure your 'levels' of empathy. Please keep in mind that this is to be used casually and will not be 100% accurate, so please don't take it too seriously! Anyway, here is the link to the 60-questions https://psychology-tools.com/empathy-quotient/

Feel free to post your results here! (The higher the number, the more empathy you possess)

Here's my own personal results:

Jvy8FoK.png
 
Papa

Papa

Banned
"If I say something that someone else is offended by, I think that that’s their problem, not mine." - strongly agree :messenger_tears_of_joy:

Here's the thing: I think it's their problem not because I'm a cold-hearted, unempathetic person; rather, because I think having thick enough skin to not take offense at words is an important characteristic for adults to develop. So, in a roundabout way, I'm helping them and therefore showing empathy by not caving to their offense taking.

"I am very blunt, which some people take to be rudeness, even though this is unintentional." - slightly agree

Similar to above, I can be very blunt, but it's not unintentional. It's because I believe that caving to weakness/victimhood is bad for people in the long term even if it provides short term comfortability. I'd rather bluntly tell the truth than softly tell a lie and it has worked well for me in my career and relationships so far. That doesn't mean I go out of my way to generally be a dick, it just means that I don't think we should be afraid to be blunt if necessary in a particular situation.

Untitled1.png


I guess I'm basically like the old school dad who tells you to pull your socks up and quit complaining but does so in your best interests. This quiz doesn't seem to account for that.
 
J-Roderton

J-Roderton

Member
Your score was 42 out of a possible 80.

Scores above 30 are generally not indicative of an Autism Spectrum disorder.
Higher scores indicate greater levels of empathy.
Click to expand...

The fuck does that mean?
 
L

Luffytubby

Member
I got 61!


But a question: Is empathy the best way to care and navigate the world? Paul Bloom, in this clip explains how Empathy can actually get in the way from actually making things better. And he cites some research that supports that!
He makes a big distinction that I had never thought of before, between empathy and compassion. He talks about how they are different. A lot of us are being told that empathy is the holy grail, but empathy has a dark side to it and its not productive. It's not proactive. He argues that compassion is a better signifer of proactive behavior that helps.




This actually supports some of my own observations. As someone with certain liberal ideals, I have noticed liberals getting in the way of their own best intentions. Intentions of wanting the world to be fair, to stop pain and suffering from those most hurting- But in the way they use empathy to literally feel the pain and suffering, there comes a hatred and resentment that is more preoccupied with the militant antagonism.
It comes with sweeping generalizations (all conservatives are racist neo-nazi conspirators) as well as an actual lack of doing anything. Because this empathy (as Paul Bloom states) causes burnout, depression and stifling of growth.

Being to close emotionally to a situation can not only cloud our rational sense of judgment- it can make us dangerous. The more upset, frantic and polarized we are in our belief (regardless if you are on the left or the right) you risk riling yourself to a level where you cannot look straight. Most people have tried being so upset they said things they didn't mean. That's why you should never make an important decision when you are angry or upset. If you are high in empathy and you take on the suffering of others and feel their pain- then you actually risk riling yourself up to a point where you further lose the nuanced perspective.
You also see people justify their logic to others in this way. If someone has been raped, an empathetic person might say something like "what if it was your mother or sister that had been raped". Almost like, the act of rape is not bad enough on its own. Like it needs to be personalized to up the ante in the outrage it is supposed to invoke.

A rational person can be sympathetic and compassionate to an abused stranger.
An empathetic person can mask the other persons pain as an emotional outlet. Like listening to music that makes you sad, seeking out terrible feelings and moments of injustice and trying to carry their pain. For well intentioned reasons I am sure. BUT, does being empathetic help someone?Its a well known fact that Conservatives tend to be happier and feel more fulfilled. Is it possible there is a link here, if liberals are right in that conservatives are lower in empathy?

I wonder how compassionate I am versus empathetic. I had never thought about the two terms as different until I saw that video. It actually blows my mind!
 
Last edited:
Papa

Papa

Banned
Luffytubby said:
I got 61!


But a question: Is empathy the best way to care and navigate the world? Paul Bloom, in this clip explains how Empathy can actually get in the way from actually making things better. And he cites some research that supports that!
He makes a big distinction that I had never thought of before, between empathy and compassion. He talks about how they are different. A lot of us are being told that empathy is the holy grail, but empathy has a dark side to it and its not productive. It's not proactive. He argues that compassion is a better signifer of proactive behavior that helps.




This actually supports some of my own observations. As someone with certain liberal ideals, I have noticed liberals getting in the way of their own best intentions. Intentions of wanting the world to be fair, to stop pain and suffering from those most hurting- But in the way they use empathy to literally feel the pain and suffering, there comes a hatred and resentment that is more preoccupied with the militant antagonism.
It comes with sweeping generalizations (all conservatives are racist neo-nazi conspirators) as well as an actual lack of doing anything. Because this empathy (as Paul Bloom states) causes burnout, depression and stifling of growth.

Being to close emotionally to a situation can not only cloud our rational sense of judgment- it can make us dangerous. The more upset, frantic and polarized we are in our belief (regardless if you are on the left or the right) you risk riling yourself to a level where you cannot look straight. Most people have tried being so upset they said things they didn't mean. That's why you should never make an important decision when you are angry or upset. If you are high in empathy and you take on the suffering of others and feel their pain- then you actually risk riling yourself up to a point where you further lose the nuanced perspective.
You also see people justify their logic to others in this way. If someone has been raped, an empathetic person might say something like "what if it was your mother or sister that had been raped". Almost like, the act of rape is not bad enough on its own. Like it needs to be personalized to up the ante in the outrage it is supposed to invoke.

A rational person can be sympathetic and compassionate to an abused stranger.
An empathetic person can mask the other persons pain as an emotional outlet. Like listening to music that makes you sad, seeking out terrible feelings and moments of injustice and trying to carry their pain. For well intentioned reasons I am sure. BUT, does being empathetic help someone?Its a well known fact that Conservatives tend to be happier and feel more fulfilled. Is it possible there is a link here, if liberals are right in that conservatives are lower in empathy?

I wonder how compassionate I am versus empathetic. I had never thought about the two terms as different until I saw that video. It actually blows my mind!
Click to expand...


Spot on mate. The best analogy I can think of is that giving a man a fish is empathy while teaching a man to fish is compassion. I'm not religious, but I believe in the moral of this particular bible story.
 
Dark Star

Dark Star

Member
Your score was 55 out of a possible 80.

i tend to be fairly empathetic. i'd consider my personality more "feeling" than thinking (INFJ).
i'm very intuitive in conversation, able to read a room fairly quickly, and i actually enjoy attention from others in social situations (i'm a musician, give me the spotlight, please)

when watching the news i don't break down crying lol, and i usually brush it off because it has nothing to do with me.
there are some anarchist/nihilist attitudes i have about life, which sometimes makes me seem cold and indifferent.
especially when it comes to my friend/family problems or struggles. If my friends grandma dies i actually don't feel too bad about it, because it was meant to be (old age, whatever), but i'll always try to reach out to them at the best of my ability.
 
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Fbh

Fbh

Member
28.... Well guess I'm slightly authistic?

I think I'm pretty emphatic with friends and family and I'm usually decent at reading people.
I just don't give a shit about random people.

So answering some of those questions is hard. Does it upset me to see friends and family crying? Of course. But someone crying in the street ? Not really
 
Ailynn

Ailynn

Faith - Hope - Love
Asympathetique said:
HzrQePU.png

.
Click to expand...

Hey hey! Empathy twins! :messenger_heart::messenger_smiling: :messenger_smiling::messenger_heart:


Here is my result, which didn't surprise me one bit:

dcudgko-2d6d33ac-aee8-4253-8fe7-c5aa0010e447.jpg


As others here have said, empathy AND compassion are important to helping others. It's one thing to have empathy, but it's another to want to go out and do something about it. :)

compassion_facebook_banner_by_ailynn_shinsamus_dcudh7x-pre.jpg
 
888

888

Member
Your score was 22 out of a possible 80.

Cold blooded lol. I tend to be more logical and calculated than emotional.
 
Last edited:
Musky_Cheese

Musky_Cheese

Banned
Mines gonna be pretty fucking low because I got to question 20 and seen there was 40 more and said “I don’t care that much right now”.
 
888

888

Member
brap said:
Sounds about right
EmfUUho.png


But are you autistic :goog_unsure:
Click to expand...

Nope. Not at all. I’m only empathetic towards some people. My kids and some family mainly get the most out of me.

I was raised around a lot of drama and it dulled me to a lot. So I generally take a pass on putting emotional effort into people I don’t care about.

And if I do get involved I approach things from a logical, let’s fix it approach. I don’t usually let people get overly emotional because I find it only makes solving the situation harder.

Unless all that makes me autistic lol

Ha. I just realized which of my posts you quoted lol. So nah ;). Missed the joke at first.
 
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Cunth

Cunth

Fingerlickin' Good!
Damage Inc said:
Nope. Not at all. I’m only empathetic towards some people. My kids and some family mainly get the most out of me.

I was raised around a lot of drama and it dulled me to a lot. So I generally take a pass on putting emotional effort into people I don’t care about.

And if I do get involved I approach things from a logical, let’s fix it approach. I don’t usually let people get overly emotional because I find it only makes solving the situation harder.

Unless all that makes me autistic lol

Ha. I just realized which of my posts you quoted lol. So nah ;). Missed the joke at first.
Click to expand...
Missing jokes is a sign of autism
 
D

Deleted member 77995

Unconfirmed Member
Got a 63. I try to be practical and logical but I also think being an active listener is an important skill that is lost on most people.
 
highrider

highrider

Banned
I’m afraid to find out I’m an old bastard so I think I’ll pass on the test, but I’m working on being more empathetic. It feels like there’s so much competition in victim culture for empathy that I’ve become desensitized to it unless it’s someone that I know a little personally.
 
Papa

Papa

Banned
highrider said:
I’m afraid to find out I’m an old bastard so I think I’ll pass on the test, but I’m working on being more empathetic. It feels like there’s so much competition in victim culture for empathy that I’ve become desensitized to it unless it’s someone that I know a little personally.
Click to expand...

You've got it backwards. The proliferation of victimhood culture is partly a result of misplaced, excess empathy.
 
EviLore

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
Your score was 41 out of a possible 80.

I'm comfortable with that. Necessary to exercise restraint and remain partially detached and in balance in order to do right by a very large group of folks, otherwise I won't do right by anyone. :messenger_ok:
 
Papa

Papa

Banned
EviLore said:
Your score was 41 out of a possible 80.

I'm comfortable with that. Necessary to exercise restraint and remain partially detached and in balance in order to do right by a very large group of folks, otherwise I won't do right by anyone. :messenger_ok:
Click to expand...

We're in the same ballpark :messenger_horns:

Too much empathy leads you to see everyone as a victim; too little blinds you to actual victims. We're in the sweet spot.
 
Sqorin Hammerfarf

Sqorin Hammerfarf

Banned
Greedings said:
How the fuck am I supposed to know what other people are thinking?
Click to expand...
People expect you to know without telling you because, for some reason, their empathy doesn't apply to people without empathy. Empathy-unburdened people are being unfairly oppressed by the emotionally bloated.

(I had problems with this quiz because it would ask questions like, "Do you know what other people are feeling?" and I'm like, yeah, but just because I know what they are feeling doesn't mean I don't think it isn't stupid. Kind of felt like I shouldn't get empathy points for that, so I just answered that I didn't understand).
 
Viliger

Viliger

Member
Your score was 22 out of a possible 80.
I always suspected that I might be autistic, but in the end it is just an online test.
 
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