Hot Cold Empathy Gap

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Introduction and Literature Review The hot-cold empathy gap is a bias where people in a “cold” state underestimate how they will act and feel in a “hot” state (Loewenstein 2005). A “hot” state triggers a more emotional response, while those in a “cold” state use more rational thinking. There are two main types of “hot-cold” empathy gaps, intrapersonal and interpersonal. Intrapersonal states occur within ourselves, while interpersonal states occur when thinking of others. When experiencing an intrapersonal state, people struggle to predict their own behaviors and decisions in a different physical or emotional state. As an example, if you’re experiencing a “cold” state when you aren’t hungry, one might underestimate how much they would eat in a “hot” state when they’re hungry. …show more content…

The “hot-to-cold” empathy gap occurs when people in a “hot” state believe they are reacting in a more rational way than they actually are. The “cold-to-hot” empathy gap explains a situation in which people underestimate how they feel when they are in a “hot” state. Interpersonal empathy gaps occur when one fails to understand how a person is feeling in a different emotional state. When it comes to medical decision making, the hot-cold empathy gap plays a big role. In the article, Loewenstein (2005) gives an example of physicians helping medicate patients while they are in a “cold”, pain-free state. When the physicians are in a pain-free state, they aren’t going to fully understand what kind of pain medication their patients need for those who are experiencing pain themselves. Physicians are taught it is better to undermedicate than to overmedicate. Another situation described in the article is end-of-life care. Physicians who do not understand how a person feels when they are near death might try to prolong life longer than the patient can

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