Youth mental health: Teaching (and learning) empathy

What roles do empathy and compassion play in our ability to have healthy relationships? And what does it look like to apply those concepts to oneself?

On this episode of School’s In, hosts Dan Schwartz and Denise Pope welcome Stanford Psychology Professor Jamil Zaki to discuss compassion, empathy, and what our perceptions of the world say about us. Zaki touches on several related matters, including:

• The science of self compassion and its effect on mental health
• How schools and communities can develop empathy in young people and encourage them to practice it
• Tools for cooperation and collaboration in the midst of division
• How cynicism reflects bias, rather than wisdom, and why it helps to be hopeful

Professor Jamil Zaki’s research examines the neuroscience behind decision making, self regulation, social cognition, and perception, among other social and behavioral functions. He is also the principal investigator for the Stanford Social Neuroscience Laboratory, which studies the cognitive bases of social behaviors. To learn more about his research, visit his faculty profile.

If you or someone you know is struggling with their emotional health, the National Institute of Mental Health lists resources on their webpage.

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