In Episode 3 of the Empathy Series, I move beyond the emotional and physiological effects of empathy to examine its cognitive distortions, the ways empathy can quietly reshape how we think, reason, and define morality.
Empathy feels virtuous, but when it becomes a cognitive reflex, it can lead to emotional reasoning, bias, and identity fusion. In this episode, I unpack how empathy functions like a mental shortcut, a heuristic that tells us we’re “good” simply because we feel, while quietly eroding discernment, accountability, and boundaries.
Drawing from neuroscience, CBT, and social psychology, I explore:
*How empathy activates cognitive distortions such as personalization and catastrophizing.
*The role of the prefrontal cortex in regulating emotional reasoning.
*Why over-identifying with others’ suffering reinforces ego and moral confusion.
*What to do when you find yourself trapped in someone else’s cognitive loop.
*How to climb the empathy ladder toward compassion and clear thinking.
Empathy as a Cognitive Trap challenges the assumption that feeling deeply is always virtuous and invites listeners to move from reflexive empathy to disciplined compassion, where emotion and reason finally work together.
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