I feel your pain...

Humans can be amazing creatures. After last week’s post on my impending unemployment, my friends responded with an upwelling of support and compassion. What was also amazing was that so many of my friends actually read my blog. Who’d a thunk it?

The kind words and thoughts got me thinking about empathy – that awareness that enables us to share each other's feelings and experiences.

In humans, empathy shows up around the age of two, just as toddlers become self-aware. This newfound awareness is tested through the prodding of orifices, the male fascination with the penise, and the wonder youngsters experience when they’re able to produce a booger. Even munchkins realize bodies are cool.

Humans are not the only species that has empathy. All mammals are capable of it to some degree, although it’s more prevalent among animals that exhibit greater self-awareness. Elephants, dolphins, and especially primates exhibit empathy to greater degrees. You’d be hard-pressed to find an empathetic camel.

Empathy was an important aspect in our evolution as a species. Without empathy, the ties that bind societies together would quickly unravel. Competition would eradicate the weak, ill, and disabled, resulting in a cold and self-serving world. (Why does Wall Street come to mind?)

Empathy is believed to be the key to altruistic behavior. Altruism – the willingness to sacrifice oneself for another – is found among many animals. Among Vervet monkeys, one brave soul will sound the alarm when a predator attacks. And although the alarm calls attention to himself and may increase his chance of being snatched, it provides a warning to others so that they may scatter and stay safe.

Not all forms of altruism employ immediate self-sacrifice. Among Florida scrub jays, hatchlings often stick around to help out with the next batch, instead of venturing off to find mates of their own. Although this diminishes their chance of reproducing, it improves the chances of family members, thus perpetuating their own line. This is commonly called “kin selection” and is rampant among social insects. Among certain species of bees, only one lucky individual gets to breed. All the others are relegated to worker status and spend their lives toiling to maintain the hive. 

Altruism seems counterintuitive to natural selection. Natural selection is supposed to favor the individual, whose personal attributes are such that they leave behind more offspring. You'd think self-sacrificing behavior would be weeded out, since it decreases the altruistic individual’s chance of reproducing.

But it's believed that altruism is favored through natural selection at the group level, thereby promoting group survival and propagating the species.

It's difficult to imagine a world devoid of altruism. Altruism compels us to help the needy, donate our blood, and fight for our country. Even small acts can be altruistic: giving up your seat on a subway, holding your umbrella over an elderly person, or recycling your plastic. These acts may cost little but are what bind us together as a community, a country, and a species. And frankly, I would not want to live in a world bereft of altruism.

So my dear friends, thank you for your concern. The messages laced with your kind words remind me that all of us share in the frets and fears of daily life. Whether it’s losing a job, facing a diagnosis, or simply wondering what the next day might bring, our ability to empathize binds us as one and will see us through.