> [!infobox] <s class="aside-in"><em>mentioned in 4 evergreens</em></s> #### [[Having extreme and uncontrollable empathy is dangerous]] Many people who consider themselves 'empaths' really just cannot control when they feel [[sympathy]] for someone else. If you cannot control whether you will take on the [[emotions]] of somebody else or not, or if you take on the emotions of somebody even if you disagree with the reason they are feeling them, that is dangerous. If the [[emotions]] you are mirroring are at odds with your [[morality]] then you are going to feel strong [[cognitive dissonance]], and you will start to make [[rationalizations]] that do not reflect your ideals: [[Rationalizations are defense-mechanisms against strong emotions]] Due to the [[Neuroscience|neurological]] effect of [[emotional mirroring]], [[empathy]] could have a physiological effect similar to that of experiencing the emotion yourself. This could be an [[anxiety]] response #TO/EXPLORE/RESEARCH relation between anxiety and [[empathy]]/[[sympathy]], narcisstic parents, [[fight-or-flight response]], [[inter-generational trauma]], [[Hypervigilance]] [[Disambiguation - empathy, sympathy, compassion, pity]] ### <hr class="footnote"/> **Status**:: #EVER/SAPLING *edited 7:35 AM - July 08, 2022* **Topics**:: [[human experience]], [[empathy]], [[interpersonal relationships]]