Pain, an indicator of potential tissue damage, ideally falls under individual control. Although previous work shows a trend towards reduced pain in contexts where pain is controllable, there is a large variability across studies that is probably related to different aspects of control. We therefore outline a taxonomy of different aspects of control relevant to […]

In their recent Letter in TiCS [1], Vaish and Grossmann offer some thoughtful comments on our recent article, ‘A pattern theory of compassion’ [2]. They argue that the distinction we draw between compassion and sympathy is not as sharp as the distinction between compassion and empathy, and neither is it supported by empirical evidence. They […]

Theorists and empiricists have long been concerned with the nature of empathy and its relatives, sympathy and compassion, which are all thought to have important roles in human (pro)sociality. Yet, the field continues to lack clear and distinct conceptualizations of these phenomena. In their recent thought-provoking article in TiCS [1], Gallagher et al. seek to […]