Empathy is widely agreed upon to be one of the most human emotions that we possess. Seriously, no one’s ever complained about too much empathy.
It facilitates human relationships by allowing us to examine, understand and process the feelings and emotions of others. The absence of empathy is often linked to disruptive behavioral problems. Given its import in society, a group of scientists from the University of Cambridge and Institut Pasteur analyzed the results from 46,000 23andMe customers to explore whether this most human emotion has genetic underpinnings.
The human brain remains a vastly unexplored scientific frontier, says Thomas Bourgeron, professor at Paris Diderot University and director of the Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions Unit at Institut Pasteur.
“It’s even worse when there are two brains together—when they talk, when they try to understand what the other is feeling. What are the brain circuits [involved]? What are genes that can ...
