5 Signs of A Fake Empath (NOT Dark Empath)

Have you ever met someone who seemed very empathetic but all their assumptions about what you were feeling were wrong? Perhaps you even come away feeling even more misunderstood. If so, you may have met a fake empath instead of a genuine one. Some narcissists masquerade themselves as empaths. They may tell you things you don’t relate to or point out qualities that are inaccurate. If you’ve had these experiences, here are 5 signs of a fake empath.

#empaths

Writer: Ananya Sawarkar
Script Editor: Isadora Ho
Script Manager: Kelly Soong
Animator: Zuzia
YouTube Manager: Cindy Cheong

References;
Becky Storey (March 25, 2020). 5 Things Fake Empaths Do That Make Them Different from Real Ones. Retrieved from;

[Psychgo]

Do you have a story you would like to share related to this topic? We might animate them and pay you!

[NexLegacyAccount]

Oh...I'm an actual empath but I do the analyzing thing. It's not at all to try to put them down and I don't broadcast it to outsiders, but I've learned to ask before and I always try to preface it with letting the person know I could be totally wrong. The reason I do it is because I study psychology and topics like it both for fun and because it's helped me a lot in dealing with my own stuff over the years. If someone close to me is hurting, I want to help by maybe giving them some information they can explore to help them in the long run. I'm never trying to diagnose, just help them spitball ideas for a possible solution.

[mateonunez]

1. They want to diagnose you.
2.They can’t stand being wrong.
3.They will point out negative feelings.
4. They want everyone to know they are empaths.
5. They blame emotional influence.

Edit: Omg never had more than 40 like thanks to all of you!

[khalilahd.]

I’ve met a few people like this and its nothing worse than a fake empath. They gaslight and are combative. Definitely a good thing to avoid 🙏🏽

[Barneyluvshisfam]

am i the only one who clicked on this worried that im a fake empath 😭

[Jumpy-Dragon]

Honestly being an empath is exhausting in general. Any strong emotions from others, even if they're not directed at me, can tire me out very quickly, like anger, happiness, and even love can leave me feeling awkward and downright desperate to leave the situation.

Edit: 2 years later update!! I have found out that my exhaustive reactions from strong emotions doesn't have to do with my empathy, they have to do with some pretty old familial trauma. After lots of therapy I have much better reactions and am now energized by positive emotions, but intense negative ones, specifically anger with yelling or fuming, etc, still drain me, though those are still mostly related to my anxieties. And my awkwardness towards love is just an intense aversion to making others feel awkward by being a third wheel. Keep learning about yourself and you'll keep growing as a person!

[bekahmccue]

Anytime someone says "I'm an empath" or "I'm very empathetic" without being prompted, I do a lil side-eye. I've always felt bad for it bc I don't want to judge or diminish the struggles real empaths go through, but it's good to know there are people out there who just say that without actually BEING an empath. I think they think HAVING empathy is a special trait, rather than like... a normal human experience.

[One-Handle-ugod]

TIME STAMPS!!!! ❤

0:25
1) They want to diagnose you

0:59
2)They can’t stand being wrong

1:37
3) They will point out your negative feelings

2:05
4) They want everyone to know that they’re empaths

2:41
5) They blame emotional influence

[lemonlizard]

My mom is a lot like this. She will state facts and pair them with bold assumptions. It can be really uncomfortable, especially when she tells me I'm wrong about my own emotions, thoughts, feeling etc.

[DaTLMusic]

If you meet someone who calls themselves an empath thats a good indicator to turn around and run as fast as you can in the other direction

[Skz_]

This is having a fake friend who you think you can trust and you want to tell them stuff and you trust what they say but you soon realize is all just a lie

[ClumsyNannu]

i am kinda a fake empath kind of thing cause i try to show my friends that i understand when in reality no matter how hard i try i just can't feel the pain they'r going through

[Corenebubae]

I have met alot of fake empaths in my time. Especially my mom. She makes assumptions that are genuinely fake and ridiculous, and I can tell she thinks she is in the right. As an empath, I try to help people in any way I can, but sometimes I feel like some fake empaths are just attention seekers.

[Xoxojeana]

I’ve met so many fake empaths and I’m an empath myself I get very sad easily but I stay far away and quiet and don’t do these things to others. I always try to own up to my mistakes as well :/

[haileylake]

i myself am an empath and i have a friend who claims to be one too. i don’t know if they’re really a fake empath but they sure check off the boxes. always saying their an empath whenever emotions come up. they always ask “do you have this issue?” and usually they are wrong. it’s just weird that in situations where i can empathize with my suffering friends, they seem to just skew things. Leave it to them to bring up their own mental health issues when supposedly helping someone else with theirs. it’s not a competition but it definitely feels that way when they say things like that, also makes it feel like your issues aren’t important and shouldn’t get talked about.

[on-knee]

It’s interesting you post this, I had a friend for a about a year who was self-proclaimed empath. I just cut off this friend because they did things to risk my safety but didn’t care.

[punkdavis]

I recently fell in love with a fake empath. She easily recognized I was an empath and flaunted it, tried to relate and take advantage of it. In the end I didn't want to let her go but ended up overwhelming her. To her I look like the bad guy. To me it's the opposite. I don't think either of us will learn from this.

[Thepensiveapothecary]

Whenever I encounter something like this it makes me question myself. Worried that I misunderstand and misrepresent myself. Hopefully that is a good sign.

[OneLine]

I met one and I didn't understood narcissism well until I met that one.
It's like talking to someone that live in their own bubble, they don't interact with the real you, but want you to be an echo of their own fake empathy. It's pretty insane.
Did not last long, at the second attempt to gaslight, I told them to go away.

[donediddlydoo]

A friendship with a fake empath can seriously mess you up.