The closing remarks of my recent blog on Arrogance, empathy and hypocrisy (2) stated: “Genuine empathy requires synchronicity between your thoughts / intentions, words and deeds.” I suddenly realized that this synchronicity also makes us trust people. This is probably the reason why “mind-reading” people is so important to us.
Aeon, 17 April 2019: “Another example of a lost cognitive instinct is mind-reading: our capacity to think of ourselves and others as having beliefs, desires, thoughts and feelings.”
“The popular perception of “mind reading”—the act of knowing someone’s thoughts and feelings through innate, telepathic means—is likely an impossible feat of fantasy.
What is real, however, is the psychological concept of “empathic accuracy,” which is the ability to accurately map someone’s mental terrain by reading the cues telegraphed by their words, emotions, and body language.”
The above two quotes provide a clear link between empathic accuracy, mind-reading, and “knowing” someone else’s thoughts / intentions.
Whenever I feel close to “terra incognita“, I look at the behaviour of animals. Slate (2013): “Animals can forge bonds across species boundaries if the need for social contact pre-empts their normal biological imperatives. A cat raised with dogs doesn’t know it’s a cat, the logic goes.”
Based on personal experience, I don’t believe the latter remark. I think, feel and believe that humans can teach particular cats and dogs to be friends, although their default behaviour towards other cats and dogs will remain hostile. Such friendship – like love – requires trust.
Amongst humans there is lots of this “need for social contact that pre-empts normal biological imperatives“. Establishing trust between humans is essential for cooperation (my 2018 blog). Perhaps, these words are the biggest insult you can express to someone: “I don’t trust you”.
As Dutch statesman Johan Thorbecke (1798-1872) once said: “Trust comes on foot but leaves on horseback”.
Trust (2009) by Keyshia Cole ft. Monica
artist-1, artist-2, lyrics, video, Wiki-1, Wiki-2, Wiki-3
I trust you, I love you, I want you, I need you
Baby I breathe you, never leave you, life wouldn’t
Be the same without you.
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless stated otherwise
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