Understanding the role of Empathy and Anxiety on Cognitive Control: A Dual Perspective

Abstract

This study explored the combined effects of empathy and anxiety on cognitive control using a face-word Stroop task. Seventy-three participants (aged 18–25) were assigned to either an empathy-induced or non-empathy group. Empathy was induced through a narrative-based message (Shen, 2010), while anxiety was assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory. Results showed that empathy itself acted as an affective variable and significantly interfered with cognitive control. This suggested increase in cognitive load, wherein higher anxiety individuals revealed impaired cognitive control in the presence of empathy irrespective of emotion. No interaction was found between empathy and anxiety, suggesting their effects are independent and additive. These findings highlight the cognitive cost of emotional engagement and have implications for tasks requiring both empathy and executive control, such as those in clinical and educational settings.