The empathy gap (hot-cold empathy gap) is the tendency to underestimate the influence of visceral emotional or physical states — hunger, pain, desire, fear, anger — on behavior when you are not currently in that state.
Hot vs. Cold States
- Hot state: You're hungry, aroused, angry, afraid, or in pain
- Cold state: You're calm, satiated, and rational
In a cold state, you dramatically underestimate how much a hot state will affect your judgment and behavior. In a hot state, you forget what it's like to be calm.
Classic Demonstrations
- People asked to predict their behavior when hungry, in pain, or sexually aroused consistently underestimate the impact — then act differently when the state arrives
- Addiction counselors who have never experienced addiction underestimate how powerful the pull is
- People who've never experienced clinical depression fail to grasp why sufferers don't "just try harder"
Practical Applications
- Make important financial and dietary decisions while in a cold state
- Design systems (pre-commitment) that make good decisions automatic regardless of your future state
Reference:
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