But there has also been a notable increase in recent years of these applications by a much wider slice of psychotherapists - far greater interest than ever before.

It is difficult to spread the contagion of excitement without having a sense of purpose and direction.

Reducing the economic gap may be impossible without also addressing the gap in empathy.

Emotions are contagious. We've all known it experientially. You know after you have a really fun coffee with a friend, you feel good. When you have a rude clerk in a store, you walk away feeling bad.

In a very real sense we have two minds, one that thinks and one that feels

We're exposed and carry in our bodies multiple chemicals, and we have to understand how they interact. Both how they individually interact and the thousands of effects they can produce when they interact with the receptors that run our bodies.

Motivation aside, if people get better at these life skills, everyone benefits: The brain doesn't distinguish between being a more empathic manager and a more empathic father.