Empathy and Bias

Empathy is a complicated concept. But what is empathy? It is understanding how people different to us in some way feel, and being compassionate towards them. We find ourselves increasingly living in bubbles, surrounded by like-minded people of similar origin and circumstances, which means that we do not actively  practise being empathetic. Additionally, we all have intrinsic bias within us. It is created by who we are, where we are from and the kind of people who surround us and the environment we are in - all factors largely beyond our control. Bias can play a huge impact on how we perceive people, and therefore, our ability to empathise with them. However, empathy is something that can be developed and worked on in many ways, and is proven to make you a better leader, team worker and better in relationships. 

Talk to people

Talking to people who live a different life to you helps you understand different perspectives, and how different people live their lives. The more people you talk to and try to understand, the better you will get at empathising with lots of different people. Talking to someone does not mean small talk about the weather, it means having meaningful discussions with them - ask them what their daily life is like, what they do, how they feel about certain things etc. Embrace the curiosity, as this will in turn make you more empathetic to people. Social media is a great way of connecting with people from many different backgrounds, although it can be harder to empathise with someone over a screen compared to sitting down with them in real life over a coffee. 

Put yourself out of your comfort zone

Whilst talking to people is highly effective, putting yourself out of your comfort zone in terms of experiences can have a huge impact. Try attending different places of worship (respectfully, of course) or spend time in a different neighbourhood. Trying things like volunteering is a great way to meet people from all walks of life in a community environment while you are all working towards a common goal, and also helps you give back to your local community.

So we have discussed ways to be more empathetic, but what about ways to tackle your bias?

First, you need to acknowledge it. We all say we are neutral, unbiased, and don't make judgements on people, but the truth is we do subconsciously - it is simply a fact. How we choose to act on these judgments is important, but it is inevitable that they will happen as it is at its core a survival mechanism we have evolved over the years. Think about possible biases you could have - there are many implicit bias tests on the internet that can help with this. Also, consider your privilege. Privilege is something that puts you at an advantage compared to others - e.g, being comfortable with money, being of a certain race, being a certain gender, being from a certain country etc. Checking your privilege and making sure you are aware of it is crucial to fully understand where your biases may come from, and therefore allow you to be more empathetic.

Empathy is something we could all do with a bit of right now, so working on developing these skills is a good thing to practise. Remember, every small act of kindness helps, and it's often the small ones that people remember and can change their day for the better.