affective empathy

Affective empathy is the ability to automatically and sincerely feel another person's emotions. It involves sharing or resonating with their feelings, such as feeling happy when someone else is joyful or sad when they are upset. This form of empathy helps us connect emotionally, fostering compassion and understanding without necessarily needing to analyze the situation. It’s like an emotional mirror, allowing us to experience what others are going through on a basic, instinctive level, which can promote supportive and caring responses.