Empathic people have more friends: Empathic abilities predict social network size and position in social network predicts empathic efforts |
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| Institution: | 1. Division of Social & Behavioral Science, Bloomfield College, NJ, United States;2. University of Massachusetts Amherst, United States;3. Central European University, Hungary and Collegium de Lyon, France;4. Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Hungary;5. Semmelweis University, Hungary;1. Stanford University, Department of Sociology, 450 Serra Mall, Building 120, Room 160, Stanford, CA 94305, United States;2. Stanford University, Computer Science Department, 353 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305, United States;1. Educational Effectiveness and Evaluation, KU Leuven, Dekenstraat 2, Post Box 3773, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;2. Methodology of Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, Post Box 7654, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;3. Professional Learning & Development, Corporate Training and Lifelong Learning, KU Leuven, Dekenstraat 2, Post Box 3772, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;1. University of Hildesheim, Institute for Social Pedagogy and Organization Sciences, Universitätsplatz 1, 31141 Hildesheim, Germany;2. Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Fakultät für Sozialwissenschaft, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany;1. Department of Sociology, Duke University, PO Box 90088, Durham, NC 27708-0088, United States;2. Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, PO Box 90392, Durham, NC 27708-0392, United States |
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| Abstract: | Living in large groups and maintaining extensive social relationships, as humans do, requires special social capabilities. Past research has shown that social cognitive abilities predict people’s social network size. To extend these findings we explored the role of a social emotional ability, and investigated how empathic abilities shape people’s social network. In line with the social brain hypothesis the findings show that dispositional empathic abilities (IRI), and empathic concern specifically, predict how many close relationships people maintain. The study also found that emphatic abilities are strategically used in people’s social network, with more empathy exercised in the support group with closer relationships. The findings further demonstrate the social function of empathy and highlight the importance of understanding empathy in terms of its strategic exercise among various social relationships. |
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| Keywords: | Social network Empathy Social brain hypothesis Empathic concern |
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