Yes, women naturally are more in touch with their intuition, feelings etc. Part of the realm of the feminine principle to work with that.
Men can tune in too of course, but it's not their foremost thing. Not handy when you had to fight an enemy warrior or kill a dangerous animal or hunt a deer etc. to suddenly intuitively feel something very strongly. It'd distract him and could get him killed.
Since most of how we function is still based on those ancient things...
Apart from the fact men have been taught not to be 'softies'...

BTW you certainly watched Star Trek the Next Generation?
Deanna Troi was an empath too. If you watched that series you must have heard of it way sooner. Unless you're not a Trekkie, haha.

That list sounds a lot like a person who is an introvert.

Emotionally healthy people can have a high degree of real empathy; empaths on the other hand often have weak emotional boundaries . In many situations they project their own emotions onto others, believing they are taking on someone else’s emotions .

It is interesting that many of the questions listed above to identify an empath .. are in fact maladaptive responses to stress or being overwhelmed by sensory stimuli . There is a theory that a traumatic event , especially those in childhood such as abuse, neglect , loss of a loved one , etc can trigger excessive emotional responses later in adult life . I believe events in adult life can also be a trigger for exaggerated over-sensitivity and negative coping (often a protective , self preservation mechanism ).

If you think of emotions as a spectrum ...,at one end of the spectrum is an empath ..the other a narcissist (who lacks empathy ) ... both states can be toxic and unhealthy . Perception combined with lived experience determine whether emotional over sensitivity is a gift or a psychological burden . Emotional balance is important not just for health but relationships too .

Very cogent, logical, and well thought out response Blondey.

No, not a Star Trek fan :)

Great post Blondey. I have started reading the 'for' and 'against' the word empath. People, of course, shall believe either way.

Possibly Cat.

I think what Blondey said was right on track. I did some reading and it does appear that being called an "Empath" has only become a thing in the last few years so not sure how much these "experts" really know. Clearly testosterone and estrogen levels would make a difference which would explain why their appear to be more females. I would like to see brain scans of where and how much energy is going on in their brains when they are in public absorbing other people's feelings, and then what happens when they crash down and need some alone time. It sounds more like a curse to be a Empath as it did not really say that an Empath seeks out ways to help others, more that it just stressed the Empath out to feel the feelings of others. Some of the people just absorb the the energy of other people while others are vultures that have a natural ability to drive people to open up and share their feelings with others. I think nowadays things like "friends" on Fakebook and other platforms can fuel the Empath. There is a lot of drama shared and certain people feed off such things. All humans have the same mental conditions going on in their minds it's just a matter of how extreme they are and how well people are at coping with them. Everybody is bipolar but most peoples swings are very small while a few people have extreme manic states followed by deep depression. Anxiety is a natural instinct designed to protect us from harm, but for some people it can be overwhelming. Everyone has compassion but they have different ways of feeling it and showing it.

You make it sound like a disease, which it is not.
Dr Judith Orloff, psychiatrist, is also an empath.
Being an empath has nothing to do with negative coping, poor boundaries, projecting, exaggerated oversensitivy etc.
It's not on the scale with narcissism either, which is a personality disorder and I guess could be called a mental health issue.
I think on the other end of the scale would be someone with serious & chronic, lasting depression(s).

From Dr Orloff:
I feel passionately that empathy is the medicine the world needs right now. Empathy will be the deciding factor between war and peace, between hatred and tolerance. Empathy is the game changer. It is the trait that will ultimately save the world. There is a powerful connection between your emotions, intuition, and empathy. The magic comes when you learn how to tap into each of them to fully access your sensitivities without going on overload or becoming drained.

And she also addressed this in one of her readings/workshops:
Why are empaths misdiagnosed with sensory processing disorder, major depression, and panic attacks? What is the correct diagnosis?

I actually wonder how much it is related to the normal feminine principle & energy that is returning to us after some 5000-6000 yrs.
It is normal and very healthy for women to be in their natural state, which is to have inner strength (on the inside) so they can be open and vulnerable on the outside.
That way we can let our intuition do our work, have our antennae out, which helps us to know, sense, feel, whether a situation or person serves us or not.
That is feminine power!

Empathy is part of that, and also has a lot to do with oxytocin, which is a very important hormone, again especially for women. We need that to feel good, strong, relaxed, and so on.

I think this is also why she says that empathy and empaths are what the world needs not thrive and survive, to become healthy.
And as it is we are having an influx of feminine energy, the return of the Divine Feminine, which is return to love, oneness, togetherness, caring, and so on. The Age of Aquarius.

The "experts" are the issue here. They want being an "Empath" to fit what they want it to be. This is a "disease" just like drug addiction is considered a disease, along with so many other things often times just so insurance pays for it. It all has to do with the way the brain is wired, which parts of the brain are used more and parts that are used less. People are getting confused with showing empathy and what it means to be an "Empath". Until these experts can agree on a set definition to this newly diagnosed condition their will be people saying all kinds of crazy things, and many jumping on board to say this fits me.
This Dr Judith Orloff somehow thinks that there is a surge of this "Empath" that will liberate women and make the world a better place. That tells me she is a nut case, people have been the same all along although certain chemicals in our body has changed over time. Like the commercial says guys have less testosterone then a generation ago because the need is not there for it. Also environment and diet have affects on such things. When she ends with "The age of Aquarius" everybody should have looked at what they just read and say I've been had.
The only positive I took from Dr Orloff is when she mentions oxytocin which is one of many hormones that affect the brain. Oxytocin could be a topic on its own as it does affect people in many ways and is being researched for such things as autism to depression. Levels of oxytocin increase during sex and orgasm so maybe people just need to get laid more? It is also said to keep guys more faithful in relationships. But like I said that is a subject in its self.

Wow, no response? All the Empaths must have absorbed my negative energy and be curled up in the corner crying? It is thought that only 1 or 2 percent of the population is an Empath, I think empathetic people are getting confused about being an Empath. And I'm not really sure how they even came up with those numbers being this seems to be a newly diagnosed thing. People are jumping on a trend without understanding what it is all about including some of the "experts".

Lol, get over yourself. People get bored with topics. I know I do, despite your valid points....

Make some threads yourself. I get tired of making threads, peeps are contentious and if I say black, they say white. If I say white, they say black.
But I do like making threads to keep Minglers chatting

I responded but my post wouldn't go thru.
I said "screw it" and went to a forum that doesn't glitch like that.
I tried posting it 4 times (I copy before I submit it) and no matter how I changed it, the reply wouldn't post.

But, I was agreeing with you.

hi

Hey Ladywind , I was not trying to do make it a you say white and I say black, or even gray. I did not know what an Empath was when I started so you did open my mind to something new. To answer the question yes, I now believe in Empaths, but not to be confused with an empathetic person. Sometimes topics do start to head in a certain direction so I do not respond either, it had more to do to adding to what a true Empath goes thru. Keep up the good work in creating new threads.

Heya, I am just confused. (((Hugs))) Do we really need answers to everything? Mystery is very alluring.

Tom, my posts glitch too. I thought it was my wifi. And I have had peeps message me saying they tried to respond to my threads, but can not????

There are different types of empaths. And yes I do believe in empaths bc I am a empath myself. I am a emotional empath and I have premonitions sometimes to.

Welcome to crazyville. I have dreamed of future happenings all my life, since I was a child. It scares the crap out of me. I have come to believe it is almost like a warning or preparation for an unsettling event. I dreamed my first husband died many times before he died. When he was in ICU, I also saw his passing into heaven, it was a beautiful thing for him, hell for me.