Compassion and empathy are related terms that seem to be used almost interchangeably in recent times, but they have two very distinct meanings.

Empathy is about putting yourself in someone else’s position so that you can feel what they might be feeling in a given situation. Compassion, on the other hand, is all about recognizing someone’s emotions so that you can identify their suffering and then take the necessary steps to alleviate that suffering. More simply put, compassion is empathy plus action. Because compassion is action-based, people are more likely to feel that their efforts have been useful. 

Compassion and empathy can be thought of as existing on a continuum along with sympathy. Sympathy focuses on thoughts, empathy adds feelings, and compassion involves thoughts, feelings, and actions. Research shows that it is possible to transition empathy into compassion by turning your feelings into prosocial actions:

  • Build Self-Awareness
  • Acknowledge the Problem & Avoid Judgement
  • Identify Ways to Help
  • Cultivate a Compassionate Mindset: Kindness Meditation

By no means does this suggest that you take it upon yourself to fix other people’s problems. Instead, it is about offering assistance in a way that you can, small or large, to help alleviate someone else’s pain. Taking such actions can bring about the positive emotions that compassion can elicit.