To speak of empathy towards animals is to speak of how we want the society we live in to beIt's not just about feeling tenderness for a dog or a cat, but about learning to put ourselves in the place of any other being, human or non-human, and acting accordingly. This way of seeing the world is built little by little, from childhood, and is deeply related to how we relate to the environment, to violence, and to social justice.
Empathy doesn't appear out of nowhere: It is learned, trained, and practiced every day.Family, school, the media, and traditions all play a huge role in teaching children and teenagers whether animals are disposable "things" or beings with their own interests that deserve respect. Therefore, integrating empathy towards animals into education is not a fad, but a serious commitment to a more peaceful and less violent coexistence.
What is empathy, really, and why does it matter so much?
In psychology, empathy is usually understood as the ability to understand what another person feels and show it in the relationshipIt is not a magic skill or a trait that one is born with forever: it is part of emotional intelligence and is developed through experience, reflection on our own thoughts (metacognition) and the models we observe around us.
One of the key points is to assume that “the other” is different from usIt seems obvious, but not everyone manages to overcome their own ego. Narcissism, understood as the inability to look beyond oneself, greatly hinders empathy and creates problems not only for the person who suffers from it, but also for those who live with that person, who is practically incapable of putting themselves in anyone else's shoes.
The good news is that any skill acquired through learning It can be planned, worked on, and improved.If empathy is learned, it's not "set in stone." Being born with little empathy isn't a curse: we can intervene through formal and non-formal education to help that capacity flourish.
When we are able to detect that someone is suffering and know how to comfort or help them, Conflicts are managed more peacefullyEmpathy, then, acts as a genuine tool for social protection: it reduces violence, prevents harassment, and facilitates cooperation. Applied to the treatment of animals, speaking of empathy implies questioning cruel customs justified by the typical "it's always been done this way."
The role of the environment: family, school and society
The environment in which we grow up is a piece essential for the development of empathyThe family, the school and society as a whole, through both formal and non-formal education, contribute to our progress towards a community that is more respectful of people and animals.
In the classroom, you learn much more than math or language. Prejudices, stereotypes, and relationship habits are also learned.Television, film, advertising, and social media transmit sexist, racist, homophobic, and speciesist messages that end up taking root if they are not countered at home and at school. Hence the importance of teaching two very clear ideas from a young age: no one is superior because of their sex, skin color, or other characteristics, and this planet is not for the exclusive use of humans.
Assuming that we share the Earth with animals and plants that They also have the right to live and be taken into account It completely changes our perspective. Caring for the planet and all its inhabitants is no longer optional, because we don't have a "Planet B" to move to. When a child is taught that an insect, a bird, or a dog feels and can suffer, an ethical filter is being built that will influence how they treat other people in the future.
Data on violence in the school environment shows that intervention is urgent: Many children witness or suffer humiliation and aggressionFurthermore, a clear link has been observed between a lack of empathy and violent, psychopathic, or antisocial behavior. Developing sensitivity to animal suffering is an effective way to curb bullying and other forms of abuse.
It is no coincidence that associations such as the Parliamentary Association for the Defense of Animal Rights propose legally recognize animals as sentient beings and not as mere “things,” and incorporating empathy towards them into the educational curriculum as a preventative strategy against bullying. Changing the legal framework also helps to change the way we think and educate.
Childhood, biophilia, and empathy towards animals
Childhood is characterized by a natural affinity towards nature and animalsThis spontaneous interest, sometimes called biophilia, is an excellent starting point for developing empathy. Young children are curious about everything that moves around them, and intense, positive experiences with other living beings leave a very deep mark on their learning.
Numerous studies show that emotionally charged experiences are the ones that most They contribute to consolidating knowledge, skills, and values.If we teach a child to love and respect other species, it will be much easier for them to understand that others have feelings, that they can experience emotions very different from their own, and that they still deserve consideration. That emotional "click" is much more powerful than a theoretical lesson on respect.
Psychiatrist Luis Rojas Marcos often recalls that We learn most of our behaviors in the first ten years of lifeIf we want to reduce violence, we must start with childhood. Empathy is the spark that ignites compassion and compels us to help when we see someone else suffering; without that spark, the suffering of others becomes invisible and any form of abuse becomes normalized.
Several scientific studies have found a strong association between animal abuse in childhood and interpersonal violence later on. In families where children are abused, cruelty towards animals is also common. Some studies indicate that around 88% of households where child abuse occurred also had episodes of violence against animals. Furthermore, this pattern has been linked to gender-based violence, sometimes exercised indirectly, using pets as a tool of control or threat.
Psychology experts point to several reasons why a minor might mistreat an animal: lack of empathy, having been a victim of abuse or abandonment, absence of an education that recognizes the animal as a living being or simply replicating the violent gestures they see at home. All of this reinforces the idea that fostering sensitivity towards animals is not "something secondary," but a central element in preventing violence in general.
Empathy in the animal kingdom: do animals also feel ours?
When we think about empathy, we usually imagine humans, but a fascinating question arises: Are animals capable of feeling empathy towards each other? The internet is full of videos that seem to prove it: a cat "trying to revive" another that has been run over, a dog that doesn't leave the body of its companion, cetaceans that help an injured fellow to surface... Our immediate reaction is usually to get emotional and attribute to them feelings very similar to our own.
From a scientific point of view, things are more complicated. Many behaviors that we interpret as "full of love" can be explained by evolutionary mechanisms of survival and gene transmissionFor example, a cichlid fish that fiercely defends its offspring may not be acting "out of love" in the human sense, but rather out of a very efficient adaptive drive to ensure that its genes are passed on to the next generation.
In the study of animal empathy, a distinction is made between two components: emotional empathy and cognitive empathyEmotional empathy is the ability to experience another person's emotional state (for example, feeling distressed when seeing a colleague frightened), while cognitive empathy involves being able to understand another person's mental state ("I know the other person is suffering and I act to alleviate it"). This second type requires a more complex level of mental processing.
To illustrate the difference, let's imagine two scenes. In the first, a lizard sees another being eaten by a predator and flees at full speed. This is probably not a case of empathybut rather a survival response: it perceives danger and flees. In the second instance, a primate helps a companion with a broken leg, carrying him even though it is not a direct descendant. Here we can already suspect that there is something more than the instinct for genetic preservation and that, perhaps, this animal remembers its own pain or anticipates the suffering of others.
What does the research say? Since the mid-20th century, some very striking experiments have been carried out. One of the best known involved offering a rat food if it pulled a lever, knowing that by doing so, Another rat was receiving a visible electric shockIn many cases, the rat controlling the lever stopped pressing it when it saw its companion suffering, forgoing the food. Did it do this out of empathy or out of fear that the shock might also affect it? The debate remains open, but these results are considered one of the first indications of empathic behavior in non-human mammals.
Evidence and limits of empathy in other species
Beyond laboratory experiments, behaviors have been described in nature that are very difficult to explain without admitting some degree of concern for the otherIn cetaceans, for example, healthy individuals have been observed helping injured companions surface to breathe, supporting them for extended periods. This type of behavior involves energy expenditure and risk, suggesting a social and possibly empathetic component.
In primates, actions that go beyond the simple exchange of favors have also been documented. In a study with captive vervet monkeys, the animals were offered the opportunity to exchange tokens for food in a machine. Most learned the trick without problems, but one female never managed to understand the mechanism. On several occasions, a male took the tokens from that female, inserted them into the machine, and left all the food for her.This gesture, repeated and without clear benefit for the male, is interpreted as a possible indication of altruism and empathy.
There are also some very surprising isolated observations, such as hippos that They protect impalas from attacks by crocodiles or wild dogs.even risking its life. From a purely evolutionary point of view, it is difficult to justify an animal exposing itself to serious danger to save another of a different species, without obtaining any obvious benefit.
From a neurobiological perspective, empathy in humans has been linked to the coordinated activation of various structures: brainstem, amygdala, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, insula, and prefrontal cortexMany mammals share analogous brain structures, which suggests that, at least in certain groups (primates, cetaceans, social carnivores, rodents), some form of empathic experience may exist. The discovery of mirror neurons, which are activated both when performing and observing an action, reinforces this possibility, especially in primates.
Still, We cannot say with complete certainty that animals feel empathy in the same way as humans.Intentionality and a deep understanding of another's state are very difficult to measure with entirely objective criteria in other species. What does seem clear, however, is that certain mammals with complex nervous systems exhibit behaviors consistent with a form of empathy, even if it is partial or different from our own.
Empathy towards animals in schools: curriculum and practices
In recent years, formal education has begun to explicitly incorporate empathy towards animals as curricular contentIn the Spanish case, the LOMLOE includes in compulsory education the raising of awareness towards animal welfare, using it as an entry point to work on empathy in general, social skills and ethical values.
It is essential that educational institutions not limit themselves to teaching theoretical content, but rather design activities that address both cognitive and emotional empathyThis means adapting the activities to the age and developmental level of the students. With younger children, for example, you can start with domestic animals or animals from their immediate environment so they can discover how they live, what they need, and what harms them or brings them well-being.
As students grow older, it makes sense to introduce wild animals, endangered species and global problems such as deforestation, pollution, and global warming. These themes allow us to connect empathy towards animals with sustainability, responsible consumption, and climate justice, reinforcing an active commitment to caring for the world we share.
It is also important that work on empathy towards animals appears across different subjectsThis applies not only in natural sciences or ethical values. In mathematics, for example, one can avoid posing problems that objectify animals, such as counting "how many animals live in a zoo," and instead opt for statements that take as their context the conservation of species, the life expectancy of different beings, or the effects of habitat destruction.
Another key issue is the type of experiences offered to students. Introducing caged animals into the classroom or organizing visits to conventional zoos These are not good practices if the goal is to develop empathy. They convey the idea that animals are objects of display. Visits to animal sanctuaries or shelterswhere their well-being is prioritized and their rescue stories are explained, or outings to natural environments where wildlife can be observed without disturbing it.
How to instill empathy towards animals from school
The school playground is full of "classmates" who go unnoticed: Birds pecking at crumbs, lizards hiding in the walls, insects going about their businessOften, certain forms of mistreatment have become normalized as if they were simple games: pulling off a lizard's tail, stepping on ants for fun, chasing a cat to scare it... It may seem like nothing, but behind these "games" lies the idea that animals are there to entertain us.
Schools can promote very simple rules and habits that make a difference: Do not kill insects or handle them if you could harm them. (ants, snails, bees, butterflies…), avoid throwing trash in the yard because many birds can mistake plastics for food, promote recycling and responsible use of resources, and take care of the plants in the yards and gardens, which serve as a refuge for many small animals.
Activities can be carried out in the classroom to develop empathy and, incidentally, Preventing peer bullyingOne idea is to work with stuffed animals or dolls as if they were pets, organizing shifts for "care": rest, "walks", imaginary feeding, cleaning... In this way, children learn responsibility, perseverance and attention to the needs of another being, even if it is symbolic.
Group research is also very powerful. endangered animalsWith the help of maps, you can locate the areas where they live, explore geography concepts, and create fact sheets about their characteristics, interesting facts, and the causes of their decline. Specific examples include orangutans affected by the expansion of palm oil plantations, clownfish overexploited due to trends following certain films, and polar bears threatened by the melting of Arctic ice.
It is advisable to orient these activities towards the idea that People have the ability to change thingsIt's easy to fall into the trap of thinking "I can't do anything on my own," but the reality is that no one fights alone, and in a consumer society, collective consumption choices have an impact. Choosing products without palm oil, reducing plastic use, supporting conservation projects, or adopt instead of buying animals These are concrete examples that can be explained at different ages.
Another interesting suggestion is the "put yourself in someone else's shoes" game. Students imagine themselves as a specific animal and reflect on how human situations affect them. a turtle trapped in a plastic bag, a caged bird compared to one living in freedom, a dolphin confined in a dolphinariumBased on these images, we can discuss whether zoos make animals happy, how they feel when deprived of their natural environment, or how garbage in oceans and rivers affects them.
Schools can also rely on specialized entities whose mission is precisely to promote empathy and compassion towards animalsAssociations dedicated to this purpose develop educational materials, talks and projects that help integrate this perspective into the daily life of the center, contributing to a more just, respectful and critical school culture regarding violence in all its forms.
Educating empathy towards animals essentially involves to rethink our relationship with any being that may sufferFrom early childhood experiences, through the language we use in the classroom and at home, to laws that recognize animals as sentient beings, everything contributes to building a less violent society. When we teach a child not to do to any being what they wouldn't want done to them, we are laying the foundation for a more humane world… precisely because it also takes into account those who are not human.
