There's more than one empathy crisis

This Salon opinion piece by Andi Zeisler effectively uses personal anecdotes to explore contrasting experiences of emotional overload and numbness, but it weakens its central claim of a persistent "empathy crisis" through misattributed studies and selective data, presenting an incomplete picture of empathy trends.

Key Findings

• Misattributed studies: The article cites UCLA and University of Michigan research for a notable empathy decline in recent decades, but no such studies exist from those institutions.

"Studies from UCLA and the University of Michigan have shown a 48 percent decline in empathy among college students from 1980 to 2009."

Actual source is Sara Konrath's 2010 meta-analysis (Indiana University affiliation), misleading readers on the evidence's prestige.

• Cherry-picking data: It highlights a 48% decline ending in 2009 but omits Konrath's 2024 update (38,000 students, 126 studies), which shows stability 1979-1999, a drop 2000-2007, and a post-2008 rebound with no overall linear decline.

• Unsubstantiated causal framing: Links decline to "neoliberalism, Trumpism, and anti-empathy rhetoric from the right," without evidence tying politics to trends. Konrath's work instead correlates changes with social media rise and individualism.

• Unqualified sources for "empaths": Promotes authors like Judith Orloff ("Empath's Survival Guide") and Elaine Aron as experts on highly sensitive people, without noting their claims lack empirical validation in peer-reviewed research.

• Loaded descriptors: Refers to right-wing views as "proud bigots" and "overt anti-empathy," which emotionally charges the critique rather than engaging the ideas (e.g., Elon Musk's warnings on "empathy exploitation").

What Was Missing and Why It Matters

These omissions involve verifiable facts that alter the article's premise:

• Post-2008 empathy rebound: Konrath 2024 (PMID 39172395) documents increases in empathic concern and perspective-taking among youth, contradicting the narrative of unrelenting decline.
• No scientific basis for "empaths": Reviews like Psych Central (2023, medically reviewed) find "inconclusive at best" evidence for empaths as a distinct trait, beyond high empathy or sensitivity.
• Tech as primary driver: Konrath meta-analyses attribute shifts to technology and multitasking, not political rhetoric—omitting this sidesteps the studies' own conclusions.

Author and Outlet Context

Andi Zeisler co-founded Bitch Media, focusing on feminist cultural critique. Salon, rated left-leaning by AllSides, blends opinion and reporting with consistent scrutiny of conservative figures.

Other Coverage Differences

Outlets vary sharply on empathy trends:

• Scientific American stresses a 2020s "deficit" tied to polarization and crises, using polls but skipping longitudinal data.
• SPSP highlights Konrath's rebound data, portraying modern youth as more compassionate.
• APA echoes decline via Konrath but stays neutral on causes.
• Blogs like Twenty One Toys blame social media per 2010 data, without politics.

Bottom Line

Zeisler shines in humanizing the topic through stories like Azra's breakdown, making abstract trends relatable—a strength in opinion writing. But factual slips and omissions tilt the "dual crises" thesis toward exaggeration, better suited as cultural observation than data-driven analysis. Readers gain emotional insight but should cross-check the science for balance.

Further Reading

• SPSP: Modern Youth Show Increases in Compassion and Empathy
• Scientific American: The U.S. Has an Empathy Deficit
• APA: Speaking of Psychology: Empathy and Narcissism
• Twenty One Toys: Empathy Decline in College Students