Empathy Test: Am I an Empath?

Empathy is the ability to put yourself in the shoes of another person. It’s the ability to feel what they feel and understand what they need. Highly empathic people have more friends and enjoy better relationships.

However, scoring too high on empathy may also mean that you are overly emotional, anxious, and suffer from addictions.

So, are you an empath? Take our “Am I an empath?” quiz to find out how you score on empathy. All details and explanation can be found after the test.

Need a printable version for classrooms or organizations? You can buy it with a scoring guide and reflection tools here.

When I hear a sad story, I find it hard to hold back the tears.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

Seeing an injured animal has a lasting effect on my mood.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

I’ve taken in animals before even when I wasn’t sure I could afford to care for them.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

I avoid watching sad movies or reading sad books.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

Other people’s pain sticks with me long after the moment has passed.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

I feel emotionally responsible for other people’s pain, even when I know it’s not my fault.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

I hide my true thoughts or needs to avoid upsetting others, even when it costs me personally.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

When someone I care about is upset, I feel like I have to take on their emotions with them.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

I am told I am too emotional.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

I find it very difficult to say “no” to people.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

I postpone my work and other activities if a friend wants to vent to me.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

I feel emotionally tired and overwhelmed because I take on other people’s feelings as if they were my own.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

People often come to me with their problems, and I feel used or drained afterward.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

I am a people pleaser.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

I can sense people’s emotional states even when they’re trying to hide them, and it affects how I feel.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

I empathize with people who have hurt me, which makes it hard to stay upset with them.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

My mood often changes based on the emotions of the people around me.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

I often replay conversations in my head, worrying if I said something that might have hurt someone.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

I feel like I have to put others first to feel good about myself.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

I constantly try to figure out what people are really feeling, even when they don’t say it.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Always

GET RESULTS

80-100 VERY HIGH

People high on empathy can feel other people’s emotional states even before they speak.

Your friends, family and colleagues gravitate toward you whenever they have a problem. They know they know you are always there to lend a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on.

Unfortunately, they don’t always reciprocate and may sometimes openly use you to sort out their emotions only to leave you drained and overwhelmed.

To make things worse, you are likely to attract unhealthy relationships where you are used and abused.

Narcissists, in particular, prey on highly empathic people to get the admiration, support, and praise they crave.

You often feel guilty and worry about unintentionally hurting someone’s feelings.

You constantly try to read between the lines and often ruminate about other people holding a grudge against you.

You often worry that other people may have a negative opinion of you and take steps to prevent that.

All this leads to a lot of anxiety, and you may have trouble falling asleep.

Your worries keep you awake at night, and you often feel exhausted and overwhelmed. To cope with constant tiredness and anxiety, you may have developed addictions to food, drugs, or alcohol.

You need to take steps to protect your mental health and well-being. Work with a professional counselor, psychologist or consider this online CBT platform to cope with anxiety and change your behavior and feelings.

In addition, this download may help you control your empathy and stop being overwhelmed by emotions.

50-79 HIGH

You scored high on empathy. It is highly likely that you are a warm, caring, and generous person.

Adults and children alike enjoy spending time with you. You probably have rescued pets living in your home.

You are a good listener who is genuinely interested in other people.

You love being around others and don’t like to stay alone.

You tend to avoid confrontations and try to find alternative solutions that will leave all parties satisfied.

Although you don’t particularly enjoy it, you aren’t overly sensitive to criticism.

You may make decisions based on your feelings and emotions rather than facts.

Even more so, you are always concerned about how your decisions affect other people.

26-49 AVERAGE

Most people belong here. You can feel for others without being overly sensitive.

You understand and support others without neglecting your own needs.

Occasionally, you may become very emotional about someone’s misfortune, but you recover quickly.

You believe that to be able to help others, you need to maintain your balance and well-being first.

You judge people based on their actions rather than your feelings about them.

Sometimes you choose to keep your opinions to yourself to avoid confrontation or hurting someone’s feelings.

You can’t always accurately predict other people’s reactions and may sometimes have to deal with conflicts and misunderstandings.

21-25 LOW

Generally, you don’t understand people, especially when it comes to emotional outbursts and venting.

You don’t understand why some people cry and complain about their issues to others when they obviously can’t help them.

Being a rational and practical person, you prefer to keep to yourself working on your own projects.

You don’t have a lot of friends and your friends aren’t particularly warm or sensitive, but you like them for being smart, logical, successful, etc.

20 VERY LOW

Generally, you have difficulty dealing with other people and don’t work well within a team environment.

It is highly likely that you are very productive and successful on your own because you don’t tend to become distracted or involved in other people’s drama.

You probably tend to think in terms of stereotypes and may seem too confrontational and argumentative to other people, which is why they avoid you.

You need to develop your self-awareness and improve your communication skills if you want to have better relationships with others.