Callista wrote:
Re. your emotional empathy, do you feel a desire to help someone whom you know is hurting, even though it causes you no distress? For example--if you knew your friend was sad, would you try to support them, cheer them up, or fix whatever was making them sad? If so, then you do indeed have empathy--it's just the "emotional contagion" part that you're missing.
I mean, I try. I don't really grasp why they're sad, but I can understand that they're sad, so long as they tell me. They can tell me about their situation/scenario and i can deduct from the facts given that it is in fact a sad one. I help as best as I can but I'm not very good at emotional support.
Regarding the mirror-touch synesthesia, that's very interesting. Doesn't fit completely, but it's certainly a step in the right direction.
Also I generally don't get it from movies, except particularly graphic torture scenes and such, especially if they're vocally describing how things feel. But mostly it only happens when dealing with real life, when people vocally express feelings, but sometimes physically expressing as well (such as groaning and reaching for their back, my back starts to hurt)