Born For Love: Why Empathy Is Essential--and En... Apr 2026

The "Endangered" portion of the title refers to a terrifying trend: as a society, we are becoming more connected digitally but more isolated physically and emotionally.

Empathy is a muscle that requires constant exercise. If we continue to prioritize efficiency and digital distance over face-to-face vulnerability, we risk losing the very trait that makes us human. To save empathy is, quite literally, to save ourselves. Born for Love: Why Empathy Is Essential--and En...

The piece isn't just a warning; it’s a manual for restoration. The authors suggest that because the brain is plastic, empathy can be "re-taught" through: The "Endangered" portion of the title refers to

Perry and Szalavitz argue that humans didn’t survive because we were the strongest or fastest, but because we were the most cooperative. Empathy is the "glue" that allows for complex societies. When empathy erodes, we see a rise in tribalism, dehumanization, and violence. The book posits that many of our modern social ills—from the school-to-prison pipeline to systemic poverty—are actually symptoms of a "poverty of relationships." 4. The Path to Recovery To save empathy is, quite literally, to save ourselves