Most people think that empathy – or the ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes – is an innate quality, but it’s not. We can learn it. Research has shown that reading can help children develop it , by allowing them to put themselves in situations very different from their own and reflect on those experiences. Another argument for teaching […] … learn more→

Most people think that empathy – the ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes – is fixed, but it’s not. Empathy can be taught. Research has shown that reading can help children develop empathy. Through reading, children can experience the situations of others that are very different to their own, and reflect on that experience. Further […] … learn more→

Empathy is a simple word of only seven letters that holds the key to social life. Clarifying an affirmation of such caliber is the fundamental objective of this article, detailing along the way the reason for its importance and why it is essential to include it as a transversal competence throughout the educational cycle. According to Eisenberg , […] … learn more→

Scientific publications, books, magazines, newspapers, radio, social networks… Impossible not to note the omnipresence of the word empathy. Not a day indeed, not a week without him appearing. Should we see in this the testimony of a questioning society at a time when the temptation to extremism and radicalization is growing? Should we see in this the […] … learn more→

Early exposure to diverse story characters, including in ethnicity, gender and ability, helps young people develop a strong sense of identity and belonging. It is also crucial in cultivating compassion towards others. Children from minority backgrounds rarely see themselves reflected in the books they’re exposed to. Research over the past two decades shows the world presented in children’s […] … learn more→

In the 18th century, novels seemed scandalous to many because, above all, they were about subjective experience. Impressionable young men and women, sitting on newfangled sofas gripped by pages of sentimentalism, were moved with pity and pain. Empathising with the plight of so many of those sorry literary protagonists, readers called for social change. Worse […] … learn more→

Empathy, the ability to understand others and feel compassion for them, is arguably the most defining human quality – setting us apart from smart machines and even other animals. Without it, we couldn’t function in social areas such as the schools, court rooms and office workplaces that are the cornerstones of our society. But babies […] … learn more→