Do Autistic People Have Empathy?

Let's explore the link between autism and empathy. Over the past decade, research has shifted to overturn one of the biggest myths about autism. We'll talk about the difference between affective empathy and cognitive empathy, the difference between experiencing an emotion and expressing it, and the "double empathy problem."

Further Reading:

The "old" studies:

[sage]

My ex lover was hiding autism and for a while I thought he was unable to be empathetic. Then my two cats died back to back and he sobbed hysterically with me also sobbing hysterically for hours on the phone. Each time I cried, he would also cry. I told him it made me realize he felt maybe more than other people, just expressed it often differently. He was also avoidant due to toxic parents so other issues were involved, but that experience really showed me how he could feel very very deeply.

[buttercxpdraws]

Thank you for an excellent explanation of this harmful myth! I am hyper empathetic and autistic. It impacts my ability to interact with other people at all because I feel their pain so acutely within myself.

[thegpshowtheshow]

As a person with autism, in my experience it's not that I don't feel empathy (and feelings in general), it's I feel too much and there's no outlet or coping mechanism for it so I 'bottle' it

[emekecho]

7:55 "Ask them... Imagine that..." Brilliant.

[buttercxpdraws]

Seriously. This is genuinely the best YT channel on autism. Evidence based explanations (with sources) which are cutting edge and current, explained by people who are not just highly educated regarding autism, but autistic themselves. You should have millions of subs. Please keep releasing content - it’s really excellent 🤗💕👏

[cass_sorrel]

This feels true for me. The eye contact stuff isn't a hard and fast rule for me, eye contact is hard because there's a lot of information there. In general, people's faces have a lot of information. I feel like eye contact is easier for me if I feel relaxed with someone and if there's playfulness and trust involved. I have never understood looking at someone while I am talking, but I do look at them when THEY are talking. If I'm looking at someone, I'm completely there. I look away to be more aware of me. It is the same with physical contact with people.

I also feel like this is part of why I am protective of my energy and at times shut down with people who are volatile or can't regulate, because it's too much for me to process. It doesn't mean I don't care. The more dysregulated, uncontained, hypervigilante or preoccupied someone is, the more it feels utterly overwhelming. I have always preferred dating other introverts because they respect the need for space, but I've internalized a lot of stuff from having to mask that has either left me feeling insecure when I am dating a fellow introvert or autistic. So dating people who need less space to decompress or don't get why I need space feels "familiar".

Life just feels so loud. It can make pleasurable things more pleasurable and horrible things more distressing. I highly relate to not being able to look at images of people suffering voluntarily. I have never really needed to see suffering to be moved; hearing about it is enough. I have never really understood horror movies being a habit. I can only do horror in small doses and even then I am very picky because what an NT finds chill, can be too overwhelming for me.

Thanks for doing this work. I recently came to terms with being on the spectrum at 31 and it all makes sense to me now. <3

[sixwingproductions]

i'm autistic. i experience empathy to such a degree i will feel for people's situation more than they do themselves. i then shut down from the emotional overload. best i could describe it is being an empath from startrek, like some sort of phsycic conection.

[caddieohm]

In retrospect I aactually was an emotionless robot until I had children. I have four now and I praise myself a real good educator/mum due to analytical skills. This video was an enlightenment: my cognitive empathy is over the top yet my affective is clearly underdeveloped. Whenever I'm like supposed to 'be happy for someone' I don't really feel anything but have to fake that emotion (so that noone is disappointed)

[SHMEEE]

Thank you. This is a great breakdown that really helped me to understand the concept of affective vs cognitive empathy. I am recently coming to terms with the idea that I am on the spectrum. The stereotype of "Autistic people lack empathy" really delayed my acceptance of the idea.

[QueenOfTheSea]

As an autostic person, i have been told that i lack empathy and taking an empathy test seemed to confirm that. But i didn't understand how that could be given how strongly i feel the emotions of others. I don't always portray that i understand how others feel since i will admit to being somewhat selfish and being more concerned about my own feelings than i am the feelings of others. It doesn't mean i don't understand how they feel or even commiserate, i just often find myself caring less about how they feel than about the mess of my own emotions at the time. I tend to feel regret about how i made others feel after the fact, just not during the situation as i'm more concerned about my own feelings.

[ABSP]

As an autistic adult, undiagnosed for many decades, I consider this is the best video about autism I have ever seen. And I have watched a lot of them. Thank you so much!!!!

[Kintsuku]

Thank you so much for making this video and putting it together in such a clear, informative and kind way. I am autistic and will be sharing this video with others to help share the right information:)

[lrwiersum]

MAJOR empathy here !! For humans and animals, soooo freaking much empathy.

[lrwiersum]

Instant empathy for others, delayed emotions of my own.

[thrinaxadon]

only 19 likes? Wtf? This is good. I like your channel. It is a good channel. Good job.

[josieconroy]

I’m autistic and the way I feel empathy is as if I have a super natural power in a fantasy or sci-fi story.
If I were to touch someone’s shoulder, I would feel their pain, experience what they went through and feel their pain and cry their tears.

[checkaga]

If I had known this then I wouldn't have almost destroyed myself by working in a wildlife rehabilitation centre for 8 years. I feel their fear and frustration so strongly.

[KevinKurzsartdisplay]

Well I have Asperger’s syndrome and I don’t have empathy, I don’t love anyone, my parents don’t wanna believe it. If anything, I can experience extreme anger.

[oceanside]

Every sentence in this vid explains my whole life. I looked it up because I recently realized I am autistic, and wondered this morning, sitting on the can -- Am I the only person in the world who is both autistic -- and having more empathy than the majority of neurotypicals?

[musingfoodie]

Excellent video and great explanation. Many thanks.