Image by: The Cureus Journal of Medical Science

When we consider empathy and its impacts, it is common to probably assume it only influences perceived satisfaction, mood, and the connection between individuals. But what if I told you that empathy has a measurable, physiological impact?

What does empathy actually mean?

Before we delve into the physiological influence of empathy, first we need to understand what it actually is, and what it means to be empathetic.

There are three types of empathy: cognitive empathy – when you are able to understand and put yourself in another person’s shoes –, emotional empathy – feeling the emotions of another person – and compassionate empathy – the desire to help and alleviate another person’s struggles. Think about when a friend tells you something that is making them uneasy, what kind of empathy comes up first?

This is important to understand when looking into how empathy can directly impact your biology, because different types of empathy trigger different parts of the brain and areas of the nervous system. For instance, emotional empathy may trigger physical stress responses while you ‘absorb’ someone else’s emotions, while compassionate empathy often activates soothing systems that reduce stress and promote healing. So when we talk about empathy affecting the body, it’s not just about being nice, it’s about what’s chemically and neurologically happening inside our brains whilst connecting with someone else. Empathy effects on patients with cancer. There are some studies that analyse the relationship between empathy and specific clinical outcomes. A study conducted at Wuhan University examined the experiences of thirty nurses involved in the care of lung cancer patients. The researchers used the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) to measure their levels of empathy. This is a scale that translates empathy, a subjective experience, into numbers. The nurses were placed into three separate categories: low-empathy, moderate-empathy, and high-empathy groups, according to their respective results.

The researchers included 365 consenting lung cancer patients in this study, all of whom took a blood test on admission and on discharge. The researchers used inclusion and exclusion criteria to control other potential variables, reducing the sample to 365 eligible participants. The results of this study were incredibly shocking – not only does empathy make you feel better, it actually contributes to healing. The medical charts’ analysis showed that the cellular immunity of the patients under care of the moderate and high-empathy nurses, specifically the B and NK cell count, was significantly higher than those under the care of the low-empathy nurses. B cells and NK cells are a subset of T cells, which are the most important white blood cells when it comes to immunity and fighting cancer.

Empathy’s medical effects mediated through stress.

So, empathy can impact the improvement of a cancer patient’s condition, but how does it do that? Stress is a commonly used term, used so often, in fact, some argue it has lost its significance. Stress is directly proportional to cortisol, which is a hormone produced by the adrenal gland that manages your body’s response to stress, metabolism, inflammation, and immune function. If empathy can reduce stress, it can, in turn, prevent all the unfavourable biological markers of stress that include but are not limited to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, obesity and diabetes.

Empathy and the Placebo Effect

The Placebo Effect is a commonly known term and has a noticeable impact on a person’s measurable health outcomes. In fact, Dr. Bishal Gyawali, from the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, concluded that there is a 1% to 7% probability that a tumour can shrink in size with the Placebo Effect alone. So, if a person believes they are being cared for more deeply and empathetically, even if all the clinical, medical aspects remain the same, the belief can manifest into a real diagnostic outcome. Crazy, right?

Why this matters outside of the hospital

You may be thinking: How does this impact people who aren’t in the stereotypical ‘helper’ roles like nurses, doctors, and therapists? Or – how will these findings affect my everyday activities?

When someone feels understood and supported, their body responds – becoming more relaxed, lowering cortisol levels, and reducing the resultant effects of heightened stress. On the flipside, when you exhibit empathy towards others, it is proven to increase levels of oxytocin within the body. Oxytocin is popularly known as a ‘happiness’ and ‘bonding’ hormone, which increases overall mood and facilitates connection between individuals.

This isn’t only impactful for your personal health. In classrooms, students perform better when they feel seen and understood. In workplaces, empathetic leadership is tied to lower burnout and higher productivity. On a community level, empathy assists in reducing social isolation and builds trust.

So, no, empathy isn’t just for nurses and therapists. It’s a human technology, a quiet butpowerful way we’re wired to support each other and ourselves.

Tips on how to incorporate empathy

So, it’s possible you may be thinking: since empathy is so important, how can I implement it in my day-to-day life? I have compiled a list of easy ways you can enhance your empathy in conversations:

1. Pause before speaking: Let silence make space. You don’t need to rush to reply.

2. Listen to understand, not fix: Often people just want to feel heard, not advised.

3. Match their tone gently: Reflecting language and emotion shows you’re present with them.

4. Use your body: Open posture, eye contact and a simple nod are all silent signals of empathy.

5. Validate, don’t minimise: Switch ‘at least…’ for: ‘that sounds really hard.’

6. Be curious: Instead of judging, wonder what you might not know.

7. Practice in passing: Kindness to strangers builds your empathy muscle.

To conclude, let this piece serve as a reminder that empathy is more than a soft skill or moral choice—it is a biological intervention. A form of medicine anyone can offer.

References

Yang, N., Xiao, H., Cao, Y ., Li, S., Yan, H. and Wang, Y . (2018). Influence of oncology

nurses’

Empathy on lung cancer patients’ cellular immunity. Psychology Research and Behavior

Management, V olume 11, pp.279–287. doi:https://doi.org/10.2147/prbm.s168649. Dr.

Bishal Gyawali (2022). Can tumours shrink with a placebo alone? – Ontario Institute for

Cancer Research. [online] Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. Available at:

https://oicr.on.ca/can-tumours-shrink-with-a-placebo-alone/.