Besides just being nice, empathy has been shown to correspond with many factors of success and wellbeing. Children as young at 18 months old can demonstrate compassion and empathy, so it is certainly a part of natural human development, but our environment can really determine how much of a role empathy will play in our lives. Empathy helps in obtaining skills like building relationships, gaining perspective, embracing difference, communicating effectively and even deepening analytic skills. It’s also one of the deciding factors between standing by and standing up.
Wishing you a holiday filled with joy and empathy!