Altruism under stress: cortisol negatively predicts charitable giving
Having a higher than average amount of empathy seems to be a disadvantage in many ways. It seems in many cases to be correlated with anxiety and depression. It can be difficult for people with high levels of empathy to recognize the boundaries between their own self and the thoughts and feelings of others. As a kid I was highly empathetic, and it's something I've struggled with my entire life. It never really felt like a virtue, and mostly just brought me pain. I have less empathy now, but it seems to largely be the result of emotional numbing, which isn't pleasant either. Even now though, my mind seems to always mirror the thoughts and feelings of those around me, as if I don't have a self or personality of my own. It's rather odd, but I've read about a number of people with similar experiences.I've read some interesting things about how in many cases schizoid personality disorder may be the result of highly empathetic children who later withdraw in life because interpersonal contact was a source of significant suffering for them. I seen to exhibit many of the signs of SPD, but I've never been diagnosed. (If you're not familiar with SPD, I'd recommend looking it up. It's likely not what you think it is, and not directly related to schizophrenia.)