Teenage boys who show empathy attract 1.8 more girlfriends than boys who don't

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-06/acu-tbw060816.php

Public Release: 8-Jun-2016
Teenage boys who show empathy attract 1.8 more girlfriends than boys who don't
Landmark study shows the extent that teen males and females select empathic classmates as friends
Australian Catholic University

Boys high in cognitive empathy attracted an average of 1.8 more girl friendships than low empathy counterparts, as revealed by a landmark study - When Empathy Matters: The Role of Sex and Empathy in Close Friendships.

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It is the first study to examine the extent that adolescent males and females select empathic classmates as friends. And the conclusion based on a study of 1,970 Year 10 students in Queensland and New South Wales (average age of 15.7 years) is that girls are more likely to nominate empathic boys as friends.

In contrast, empathetic girls didn't rate quite so highly with the opposite sex. In fact, the study found girls with empathetic qualities "did not attract a greater number of opposite sex friends" at all.

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The researchers defined cognitive empathy as the capacity to comprehend the emotions of another person.

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