A person learns of another’s misfortune and feels sorrow or concern for them without necessarily sharing the same emotional state. Sympathy is that feeling of care and concern for another’s suffering.

It is distinct from empathy, which involves sharing or closely understanding the other’s feeling. Sympathy can motivate helping behavior and is often accompanied by a desire to alleviate the distress. It appears early in development and is encouraged by cultural norms of compassion.

Excessive or selective sympathy can lead to biased helping or emotional exhaustion. In professional caregiving, balanced sympathy supports engagement without overwhelming the helper. Expressions of sympathy—verbal, facial, or practical—form part of the social response to loss and hardship. Sympathy connects people through acknowledged vulnerability.

Feeling for another is one of the ordinary bonds that hold social life together.