Somatic Empathy: Our Ancient Intelligence We Share with Other Animals

(in press 2021)

Before the evolution of language, we understood others by feeling how they felt. Somatic empathy is a form of interpersonal physiology which remains at work today. That headache you are feeling might not be yours; your dog’s anxiety might be. Social neuroscientists are excited by finding out how this works for it reveals important mechanisms of self and co-regulation.

Somatic empathy is not about being nice; it’s about survival.