The relationship between cognitive failures and empathy

Cognitive empathy (or theory of mind) is the capacity to understand others' thoughts and feelings, while affective tendency be affected by feelings. There evidence that successful attentional control related increased cognitive but reduced empathy. Here, we investigated whether relates real-world failures, which are associated with control. We examined relationship between individual differences in propensity experience everyday failures using widely-validated Failures Questionnaire (CFQ), versus (using Affective Empathy) a sample 394 participants. found qualitatively different relationships general two components empathy, such individuals prone experienced perspective, greater feeling emotions. When considered sub-factors (Forgetfulness, Distractibility False-Triggering), they were equivalently Empathy. However, for Empathy, Distractibility-related uniquely negatively associated, Forgetfulness-related positively associated. Implications interplay socio-emotional factors, conceptualization discussed.