Study finds musical interaction cultivates empathy in children
Schools could one day add “empathy education” to their curriculum. New research suggests that understanding the emotional state of others is something that can be learned and practiced.
According to a study published in the July issue of Psychology of Music, playing musical games can help cultivate a sense of empathy in children.
“Perhaps the most important thing the study tells us about the development of emotional empathy is that it is amenable to intervention,” Tal-Chen Rabinowitch of the University of Cambridge, the lead author of the study, told PsyPost. “We now have the (very friendly and enjoyable) tools to influence and enhance emotional empathy in children, a significant building block for shaping a more empathic and other-minded society.”
The study was co-authored by Ian Cross and Pamela Burnard of the University of Cambridge.
For their study, the researchers ran a musical program over the length of an entire school year. Children ages 8-11 participated in the program in several small groups. The program was