Humans prefer to put more effort into empathizing with groups than with individuals (frontiersin.org)
from Pro@programming.dev to science@mander.xyz on 07 May 09:01
https://programming.dev/post/29895500

#science

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wwb4itcgas@lemm.ee on 07 May 09:11 next collapse

Personally, I much prefer individuals.

Some individuals, at least.

Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg on 07 May 16:54 collapse

Some might say … a group of individuals then? lol

wwb4itcgas@lemm.ee on 07 May 22:31 collapse

I’d say ‘a set of individuals’. The distinction is admittedly subtle.

haui_lemmy@lemmy.giftedmc.com on 08 May 14:31 next collapse

I’m autistic. I absolutely hate groups. Individual people every fucking time.

SilentKnightOwl@slrpnk.net on 08 May 23:44 collapse

Same, I don’t understand this.

Eiren@lemmygrad.ml on 08 May 15:38 collapse

Except you can’t empathise with a group because groups are conceptual and concepts do not have feelings.

This shit is depressing.

Edit: Actually, this whole thing is bizarre. “empathizing was rated as more effortful and distressing compared to staying objective”? Feelings are objective. Individuals objectively have feelings. Empathy is understanding and weighing other people’s feelings, particularly when making decisions. There is absolutely nothing that is not objective about it.

The experimental design also seems to be asking the participants to empathise with people who very obviously don’t exist with zero information about their fictional cirtumstances (not even any body language), which is bordering on impossible. I’d also really like to ask how it’s “distressing” to try to empathise with an expressionless photograph on a solid background.

Junk research. Whoever approved funding for it should be fired.