Question

evolutionary advantage for the development of empathy and theory of mind

Answer 1

Empathy makes us reach out to others just emotionally initially, but later in life as well by understanding their situation. This capacity likely evolved because it served our ancestors’ survival in two ways. Firstly, like every mammal, we need to be sensitive to the needs of our offspring. Second, our species depends on cooperation, which means that we do better if we are surrounded by healthy, capable group mates. Taking care of them is just a matter of enlightened self-interest.

Empathy also plays a role in cooperation. One needs to pay close attention to the activities and goals of others to cooperate effectively. A lioness needs to notice quickly when other lionesses go into hunting mode, so that she can join them and contribute to the pride’s success. A male chimpanzee needs to pay attention to his buddy’s rivalries and skirmishes with others so that he can help out whenever needed, thus ensuring the political success of their partnership. Effective cooperation requires being exquisitely in tune with the emotional states and goals of others.

Over the years, scientists have researched and categorized empathy into the following along with their advantages;

· Cognitive Empathy: It helps us to deduce the other person’s thought process and state of mind at that instant. This helps us in negotiations, motivating people and understanding diverse viewpoints.

· Emotional Empathy: Aids us in connecting physically and emotionally with people, further helping us in close interpersonal relationships which require sharing like opinions.

· Compassionate Empathy: With this kind of empathy we not only understand a person’s predicament and feel with them, but are spontaneously moved to help, if needed. Through this we are able to understand the whole person.

The ‘Theory of Mind’

The ability to infer other persons' mental states and emotions has been termed ‘theory of mind’. It represents an evolved psychological capacity most highly developed in humans. The evolutionary origins of theory of mind can be traced back in extant non-human primates; theory of mind probably emerged as an adaptive response to increasingly complex primate social interaction. This sophisticated ‘metacognitive’ ability comes, however, at an evolutionary cost. Not only does the theory of mind involve thinking about thinking, but it also refers to the ability to understand that other people's thoughts and beliefs may be different from your own and to consider the factors that have led to those mental states. This in turn allows us to infer intentions of others, as well as to think about what's going on in someone else's head including hopes, fears, beliefs, and expectations, which helps us in becoming accommodative, supportive and understanding!