Empathetic people are made, not born, new research suggests

The largest ever study into the genetic basis of empathy, suggests that just 10 per cent of the variation between people’s compassion and understanding is down to genes.

It means, the vast majority of a person’s ability to recognise and respond appropriately to the needs and feelings of others, seems to be based on social factors, such as upbringing and environment.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge also confirmed previous studies suggesting that women are more empathetic than men, but found no genetic basis for the difference. And they discovered that genetic variants associated with lower empathy are also associated with higher risk for autism.
Cambridge doctoral student Varun Warrier, who led the study. said: “This is an important step towards understanding the small but important role that genetics plays in empathy.

“But keep in mind that only a tenth of individual differences in empathy in the population are due to genetics. It will be equally important to understand the non-genetic factors that explain the other 90 per cent.”

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