Final answer:
The difference between empathy and sympathy, according to Brené Brown, is that empathy involves a deep emotional connection and understanding, while sympathy maintains more distance and does not involve shared feelings.
Step-by-step explanation:
Per the work of Brené Brown, the difference between empathy and sympathy is quite distinct. Empathy involves deeply understanding and connecting with the emotions that another person is experiencing. It's about stepping into someone else's shoes and feeling with them, rather than merely acknowledging their plight. Sympathy, on the other hand, maintains a certain distance; it's an acknowledgement of another's suffering but without necessarily feeling their emotions.
Empathy fosters connection because it involves a shared emotional experience, whereas sympathy might be viewed as observing from the outside looking in. Research suggests that both sympathy and empathy are important social emotions that contribute to the moral sense and the survival of groups. Still, empathy could lead to a stronger sense of altruism and is thus a basis for moral behavior and understanding, as discussed by researchers like Cialdini et al.