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How to have more empathy (but not too much)
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Empathy is the ability to be sensitive to other people's positive and negative emotions. - photo by Kelsey Dallas
Empathy is a powerful emotion, improving people's worst days and encouraging cooperation within diverse communities. But some people aren't very good at it.

"If all you ever saw was people running away or suppressing their feelings that will seem like a very sensible thing to do," said Emiliana Simon-Thomas, science director of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, to the Wall Street Journal this week. "But if you saw people respond in a generous and responsive way to other people that will seem like the thing to do."

Empathy, or sensitivity to the positive and negative emotions someone else is experiencing, is instinctive, to a certain extent, as the Deseret News reported last year. However, it also has to be nurtured in order for someone to reach their full potential as an empathizer.

"Being able to imagine walking in someone else's shoes takes work," the article noted.

Stumbling through a trial-and-error period in order to improve your empathy skills can pay off in surprising ways, The Huffington Post reported. The emotion helps us build new connections with other people and become better leaders. It can even reduce physical pain.

Empathy also strengthens our relationships with friends and loved ones, even when someone still has a lot to learn about being supportive, the Journal reported.

One study showed that "both men and women were happier when their partner simply made an effort to show emotional support. It didn't matter as much if their partner read their emotions correctly," according to the article.

However, it is possible to go overboard with empathy and experience burnout. Clergy members and health care workers often receive training related to this phenomenon, the Deseret News reported.

"Individuals can learn to set boundaries, protecting their own mental health while continuing to be with others in their times of need," the article noted. Kristen Provost-Switzer said she liked to meditate and go for runs after long days of serving as a hospital chaplain.

If you're looking to improve your empathy skills, experts suggest striking up conversations with new people, paying attention to what you have in common with others instead of what's different and being a good listener, The Huffington Post reported.

Aspiring empathizers can also try another person's life on for size in order to hone their skills, according to an article on empathy from the Greater Good Science Center.

"If you are religiously observant, try a 'God Swap,' attending the services of faiths different from your own," it noted. Or "spend your next vacation living and volunteering in a village in a developing country."
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.