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Category: Project

Description: Empathy is frequently described in opposition to rationality. Yet in two studies, we provide nuance to this debate. Study 1 includes correlational data from two American samples and study 2 presents a meta-analysis of existing literature (k=21). Both studies evaluate the relationship between different subtypes of empathy and rational thinking. We demonstrate that perspective taking is associated with higher self-reported rationality, but is unrelated to rational performance. In contrast, empathic concern and personal distress are negatively associated with performance measures of rationality, but their relationship with self-reported rationality is divergent. Although these results do not settle the debate on empathy and rationality, they challenge the opposing domains hypothesis and provide tentative support for a dual-process model of empathy. Overall, differences between self-report and performance measures of rationality suggest that the relationship between rationality and empathy is nuanced and likely context-dependent.