[Source:  The Max Planck Institute]

Being able to feel empathy and to take in the other person’s perspective – these are two abilities through which we understand what is going on in the other person’s mind. Although both terms are in constant circulation, it is still unclear what exactly they describe and constitute. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (MPI CBS) in Leipzig, together with colleagues from Oxford University and other institutions, have now developed a model which explains what empathy and perspective taking are made of. They show that it is not one specific skill that enables us to put ourselves in another person’s shoes. These skills are made up of many individual factors that vary according to the situation.

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