Did you feel more empathetic in your younger days? Here's why it's harder to express now and how to rekindle it

What if your ability to feel and express empathy peaked in your 20s? A new study from the University of Kent reveals just that. Young adults show the strongest emotional reactions to others in pain—whether physical or social—compared to teens and older adults. Researchers tracked brain activity while participants viewed images of people in distress, and found that empathy develops with age, but hits a high point in young adulthood.

While older adults showed stronger brain responses to pain, they rated others' pain as less intense, revealing an interesting gap between what they feel and how they express it. Essentially, while our brain becomes more sensitive to others' suffering as we age, expressing that empathy may become harder.

The study found that young adults are particularly in tune with social pain, like embarrassment or grief, and feel a deeper connection to those experiencing emotional distress than teens or older adults do. It’s a new look at how empathy evolves, shaped by our experiences with both social situations and pain.

Empathy is a vital part of how we connect with others, and this study shows that although older adults experience stronger brain reactions to pain, they struggle to rate the intensity of others' suffering accurately. Their empathy is there, but it’s harder to express or measure.

Professor Heather Ferguson, the study's lead researcher, explained, “While young adults are the most in tune with others' pain, older adults may feel empathy deeply but have a harder time expressing it or assessing its intensity.” This research gives us a fresh perspective on how empathy changes as we age, peaking in our younger years before becoming more complex in later life.

There could be various reasons for this, as Dubai-based Satish Chandran, a neuropsychiatrist explains. Younger people, especially in their late teens and early 20s, tend to feel more empathetic due to a combination of emotional, cognitive, and social factors. During this stage of life, they are navigating intense emotional experiences, forming deeper relationships, and developing their personal values, which sharpens their emotional awareness and responsiveness to others.

He adds, "Their social networks, whether through school, work, or social media, expose them to various forms of emotional pain, further amplifying their empathy. Cognitive flexibility is also at its peak, allowing them to imagine multiple perspectives and connect with people from diverse backgrounds."

Additionally, the brain regions responsible for empathy and emotional processing are still maturing, making them especially receptive to emotional cues. This heightened awareness is compounded by an idealistic desire for meaningful connections and a vulnerability to social pain, like rejection or heartbreak, that makes them particularly attuned to others' suffering. In essence, the combination of emotional exploration, social interaction, brain development, and a desire for connection makes young people especially sensitive to the pain of others.

Chandran explains: "As you grow older, rekindling empathy involves consciously nurturing emotional awareness and staying connected to others’ experiences." Here's how to do so: