On: Understanding gambling addiction (2012)

[MrFantastic]

It's hard to sympathize with people that play games in casinos that clearly state you will lose on average 3% with every bet.

[wikfwikf → MrFantastic]

I do not find it hard to sympathize with them; I have a lot of sympathy for them.

[stnmtn → MrFantastic]

Sympathy and empathy are hard, and to be sympathetic means stepping out of your own shoes to try to understand people and situations that you don't understand.

[Something1234 → stnmtn]

Wait I thought empathy was the one out of my shoes and sympathy was feeling bad on someone else's behalf?

[stnmtn → Something1234]

I looked it up and you're right! I thought they were more or less interchangeable but it looks like that's not true. Similar to how jealousy and envy are different