Everyone loves to help others, or at least they realize they should pretend to. Caring is good, according to most people you meet. If more people cared then the world would seemingly be a much better place...or so the story goes. But what is the science of this thing we call empathy? In this episode of More Content Talk I take a look at how our brain is very choosy about what it decides to care about, so choosy that forcing oneself to care too much can, in fact, have the exact opposite effect. As with most of our emotions, empathy is something we feel because of various chemicals being released in the brain. But we are not programmed to feel one particular way for extended periods of time. It is much more normal for human emotion to fluctuate based on whatever circumstance it is exposed to. Staying in one emotional state for an extended period of time can cause the mind unrest and can really unsettle one's daily routines. This is quite worrisome considering the large number of jobs out there for the various caregivers: nurses, teachers, coaches, babysitters, etc. Just think of how much abuse of power may very well be caused by this sensation of empathy overload. It is for this reason that it is so important for us to practice self care, to indulge in some of the things that only we love. If we embrace our personal desires, within reason and without harming others of course, we can prevent empathy overload and live better lives. We should stop blaming others for being too selfish all the time. Sure, there are people who deserve this label, but most of them get paid to sit around of their duffs thinking of ways to spread false information. There is nothing wrong, however, with taking some time to enjoy life in your own unique way, outside of what others may wish for you. So we see that selfishness can indeed be a virtue, if you are in to that sort of thing. Of course, being a nihilist, I am not concerned with virtue so much. Although I will say that feeling better about oneself is always quite nice, regardless of what you do or do not believe in. Being at ease with one's desires has many benefits. It is also a great way to prevent yourself from descending into hedonism because you will not be obsessed with what you do not have if you allow yourself to indulge in moderation. You should really start doing more for yourself if it is your wish to help others for in order to help others you must be a happy, complete person. You cannot help others when you are in need of help yourself. Sometimes the help we need is not some sort of rescue, but a kind of respite from the reality we create for ourselves. We do not need to escape reality, but we do need to unwind from it, making it a bit less serious along the way. If we can allow ourselves to enjoy life again, perhaps we will be able to make it a bit more useful for future generations and for ourselves as well. So try to be a little more selfish today: take that nap, make that recipe, listen to that one song you love that everyone else hates, be the real you for once and enjoy it goddamn it! There is too little time to waste to sit around feeling sorry for yourself, feeling sorry for the world, sorry for life... Instead of being sorry, instead of pitying this life, let us be thankful for it. Let us embrace the good parts of life as well as the bad. We all know how much you care. You have long since proven that. So try to show that same love and care the next time you look in the mirror. Remember that you are a person and that you require certain emotional upkeep that only you can take care of. No one else can do this for you because only you really know what you need and want. If you do start caring more for yourself, you will find that all of that empathy you once had will start to return at a rapid pace for you will no longer feel the need to shut out the bad parts of life. You will finally have the strength one needs to overcome the sorrow. You must be careless to care more.