Empathy Gap Explained: How Cognitive Biases Shape Our Feelings and Decisions

The Biased Brain Podcast with Owen Hawthorne

Explore the intriguing world of cognitive biases and human cognition in this engaging podcast. Discover how bias in decision making shapes our perceptions and influences our choices. Join us as we delve into the science behind critical thinking and biases, providing practical insights to enhance your understanding and control over your thought processes. Whether you're a psychology student or curious observer, this podcast offers valuable tools to help you unveil the hidden biases in your mind.

How Our Minds Trick Us: Understanding the Empathy Gap and Cognitive Biases

You know, there’s this fascinating thing called the empathy gap that I’ve been thinking about lately. It’s one of those quirks of human cognition that really shows how our brains can lead us astray without us even realizing it. Imagine trying to imagine how someone else feels—or even how you’ll feel in the future—but failing completely. Sounds odd, right? But it happens all the time, and it’s tied directly to cognitive biases.

So, what exactly is the empathy gap? Basically, it's our brain’s tendency to underestimate the influence of emotion on decision making—either our own or someone else’s—especially when we're in a different emotional state. It’s like your brain creating a gap between what you feel now and what you might feel later, or vice versa, which causes you to misjudge someone else’s emotional experience too.

Let me give you an example. Ever notice how when you're calm, it’s hard to imagine what it feels like to be angry or really upset? And when you're angry or upset, it’s almost impossible to remember how calm and logical you were just moments ago? That’s the empathy gap kicking in. It’s a classic cognitive bias, showing how the biased brain struggles to bridge emotional experiences across time or between people.

This bias doesn’t just mess with emotions—it can heavily influence our choices, too. Say you’re trying to stick to a diet, and right now you feel quite satisfied. You might think, “Oh, I’ll never want junk food again.” But then later, when hunger or cravings kick in, you wonder what you were thinking. This mismatch between your current mindset and anticipated feelings is a perfect example of the empathy gap in action.

What’s wild is that this gap also shows up in how we judge other people’s decisions. We often fail to fully appreciate the emotional or situational context they're in. Like if a friend is upset about something small and you think they’re overreacting because, in your calm state, you just don’t get why it’s such a big deal. That’s bias in decision making creeping into interpersonal understanding.

Understanding these distortions in human cognition is crucial for improving critical thinking and biases overall. When you start recognizing that your mind is naturally wired to misinterpret emotions and motivations—both yours and others’—you get a bit of a superpower. You’re able to pause, question your assumptions, and maybe even make better decisions.

Another cognitive bias closely related to the empathy gap is the projection bias. That’s when you assume that the feelings or thoughts you have right now will stay consistent into the future. It’s like thinking, “I’m so happy and motivated today, I’ll definitely feel like this next month too,” only to be surprised when reality doesn’t pan out that way.

So why do these biases happen? Well, the brain loves shortcuts and tends to rely on heuristics—mental rules of thumb—that usually work but sometimes backfire. The empathy gap is just one example of how that shortcutting creates blind spots.

If you want to explore these concepts and get a more detailed grasp of how our minds can deceive us, I highly recommend checking out the book, "The Biased Brain" by Bo Bennett, PhD. It’s full of real-world examples that break down the complicated world of cognitive biases in a way that’s easy to understand and actually fun to read. If you’re curious about how your brain works and want to get better at critical thinking and recognizing biases, this book is a great start.

So next time you catch yourself thinking, “Why can’t I predict how I’ll feel?” or “Why did they act that way?”, remember the empathy gap is at play. Our brains are amazing but also wonderfully imperfect, and knowing about bias in decision making helps us navigate life a little wiser. Explore the book and unravel the secrets of your mind today! Who knows? You might just find yourself a little more understanding of both yourself and the people around you.

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