#298 How (and Why) to Hack Your Empathy | Jamil Zaki
Kindness and empathy are loaded propositions right now. When you hear those words, you might think: Eh, those are soft skills that won’t help me get ahead? Or: If I’m too nice, I will get trampled. Or: I need my anger to be effective. Or: I am plenty nice -- it’s other people who need to up their game. My guest today will push back on all of these reservations, and tell us how -- and why -- to, as he says, “hack your empathy.” Jamil Zaki a psychologist and director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab. He wrote a book called, The War for Kindness. In this conversation, we talk about how our modern culture is suffering from an “empathy deficit”; why he believes selfishness is a sickness; how to avoid empathy burnout; and the academic criticism that empathy is actually an outmoded and unreliable human capacity.
Where to find Jamil Zaki online:
Website: https://www.warforkindness.com
Social Media:
Other Resources Mentioned:
- Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World by Vivek Murthy
- Altruism in Humans by C. Daniel Batson
- Against Empathy by Paul Bloom
- The Western Illusion of Human Nature by Marshall Sahlins
- Liz Dunn’s research on benefits of helping others
- Dr. Carol Dweck’s work on mindsets
- Erica Weisz, empathy and prosocial behavior
- The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker
- Dr. Michael Cline’s work on self-compassion
- Jamil Zaki on sustainable medical empathy
- Liz Rogers, neurodevelopmental and behavioral pediatrics
- Nick Epley and Juliana Schroeder’s research on time spent with strangers
Additional Resources:
- Ten Percent Happier Live: https://meditatehappier.com/live
- Coronavirus Sanity Guide: https://www.meditatehappier.com/coronavirussanityguide
- Free App access for Frontline Workers: https://meditatehappier.com/care
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