The powerful warmongers of our present often leave us wondering why powerful people do such inhumane things. Is there a scientific explanation for this? How do people change through influence or fame? Do they become distant, less friendly, and less empathetic towards their fellow human beings? Or do only previously existing aspects of them come to light? In the effort to find answers, thinkers of many disciplines and epochs have already explored human emotions. The results of previous research show that people in positions of power tend to be less empathetic and more likely to make risk-prone decisions. Often powerful people even have a distorted perception of reality and do not feel responsible for others.
From Antiquity to AI: We Are a Paradox to Ourselves
The scientific measurement of emotions has a long tradition. The ancient Greeks already tried to fathom the diversity of our emotions. These efforts reach into our present time and into various scientific disciplines, such as natural, social, and human sciences. Digitalization has created many new possibilities for emotion research.
Particularly Paul Ekman, an American psychologist, has advanced the exploration of non-verbal communication in our recent past. Ekman assumes seven innate basic emotions, which are universally valid at all times and in all cultures. In the course of his scientific activity, he classified emotions and the facial expressions they trigger, thus developing the Facial Action Coding System (FACS).
Modern techniques such as “face tracking” allow for the measurement of so-called micro-expressions, minimal emotional expressions on people’s faces. Large tech giants are now researching digital assistants capable of not only recognizing but also imitating emotions.
The Psychology of Power
Some psychologists argue that powerful people are simply too busy to care for their less powerful peers. But the research by Sukhvinder Obhi, a neuroscientist at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada, sheds new light on the power phenomenon. According to this study, power actually changes the way our brain works.
Power Reduces Empathy: Insights into the Brain’s Mirror System
In the study by Obhi and his colleagues, participants were randomly selected to feel either powerful or powerless. While watching a video of a hand repeatedly squeezing a rubber ball, their brain activity was measured, especially in the brain’s mirror system, an area associated with empathy. The study found that the mirror system activated more strongly in powerless individuals than in powerful individuals, suggesting that power can indeed decrease the ability to empathize.
Power and Loss of Empathy
The study suggests that people who feel powerful have difficulty empathizing with others. Social psychologist Dacher Keltner confirms this finding, emphasizing that power affects our ability to adapt our behavior to that of others.
Often it is a mystery to us why people change so much as soon as they gain power
Keltner himself – once a student of Paul Ekman, intensely dealt with power and compassion and in turn coined the term “Power Paradox,” which states that even small signs of power can change us significantly and lead to us misusing this power for our own desires and dreams.
Our noblest ideals thus die precisely when we could realize them, namely, as soon as we seize the reins of power, and already the Sword of Damocles of power loss hangs over us.
Is “No Power for Anyone” Truly the Path to Universal Compassion?
There are indications that powerful individuals who have lost their capacity for empathy can be guided back to their compassionate selves. New research suggests that targeted interventions and training can restore empathic abilities, even in those in positions of power.
In cases where these efforts bear no fruit and power continues to be abused, it is entirely legitimate to actively resist and initiate a revolution to end oppression and the misuse of power.
Between Power and Compassion: The Path to an Empathetic Leadership Role
The relationship between power and empathy is complex and requires further research. However, the findings so far emphasize the importance of staying compassionate and empathetic in positions of power, and offer hope that empathy can be restored even when it has been lost. Conscious handling of power and an understanding of its impact on our empathic abilities are crucial to promoting effective, compassionate, and successful leaders who not only strengthen their own position but also contribute to the well-being of all.
Women, Power, and Empathy: A New Perspective
In society, women are often known as particularly empathic, and this pronounced ability for compassion is often cited as a reason why they are less represented in the upper hierarchy. However, the assumption that women have been less assertive because of their empathy is now being questioned by new findings.
Could it not also be that women show more empathy precisely because they are rarely in positions of power, in a world still largely dominated by men? This perspective can also explain why historically there have been powerful women who have proven to be uncompassionate.
Power and empathy have a complex relationship, and it is crucial to further explore and understand this dynamic. It is a necessary step to break down barriers and allow more women access to leadership positions without giving up their empathy.
At the same time, it underlines the importance of developing leaders who are both powerful and empathic, regardless of gender.
A deeper understanding of this dynamic will benefit not only women but the entire society
Empathy training is probably no longer going to help the warmongers of our time.
Their disempowerment is the only imperative for me
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