Reexamining empathy in autism: Empathic disequilibrium as a novel predictor of autism diagnosis and autistic traits.
Ido Shalev, Varun Warrier, David M Greenberg and 5 others
PMID 36053924WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic adults reported an imbalance between emotional and cognitive empathy, specifically higher emotional empathy than cognitive empathy.
This pattern predicted autism diagnosis and social traits more strongly than total empathy alone. The findings challenge the view that autism is characterized by a lack of empathy.
Key findings
01Autistic males and females both showed significantly higher emotional empathy than cognitive empathy, while typical males showed the opposite and typical females showed no significant imbalance.
02Empathic disequilibrium (higher emotional than cognitive empathy) was a stronger predictor of autism diagnosis than total empathy levels.
03Higher emotional empathy relative to cognitive empathy predicted higher levels of autistic traits in both autistic and non-autistic individuals.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
All data were self-reported, reflecting participants' perceptions of their abilities rather than objective behavioral measures. Participants were recruited online, likely excluding autistic individuals with intellectual disabilities or those who do not have internet access, limiting generalizability to the full spectrum. The study included only adults, so it cannot describe how empathic disequilibrium develops or changes during childhood. The non-autistic control group included family members of autistic individuals, which may reflect the 'broad autism phenotype' and potentially reduce the observed differences between groups.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Funding was provided by multiple organizations including the Innovative Medicines Initiative, Israel Science Foundation, Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research, and Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, or writing.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the finding of 'higher emotional empathy' as evidence that autistic individuals are better at social interaction or communication. The study shows an imbalance where emotional responsiveness is high relative to cognitive understanding, which the authors suggest may contribute to overarousal and social difficulties, not ease.