
Cognitive Empathy Scale
Can you put yourself in others' shoes, even if you've never experienced what they have? Take this test to find out.
By Mark Travers, Ph.D.
June 26, 2024

By Mark Travers, Ph.D.
June 26, 2024
Mark Travers, Ph.D., is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, responsible for new client intake and placement. Mark received his B.A. in psychology, magna cum laude, from Cornell University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder. His academic research has been published in leading psychology journals and has been featured in The New York Times and The New Yorker, among other popular publications. He is a regular contributor for Forbes and Psychology Today, where he writes about psycho-educational topics such as happiness, relationships, personality, and life meaning. Click here to schedule an initial consultation with Mark or another member of the Awake Therapy team. Or, you can drop him a note here.
Cognitive empathy is the ability to understand and interpret another person's emotions and perspectives intellectually. Unlike affective empathy, which involves sharing emotional experiences, cognitive empathy is about recognizing and comprehending the thoughts and feelings of others. This type of empathy is essential for effective communication, problem-solving and supporting friends and loved ones.
Understanding an individual's cognitive empathy capacity helps identify their ability to perceive and relate to others' mental states. Assessing your ability to engage in cognitive empathy can provide valuable insights into your social cognition, communication skills and potential areas for personal growth or development.
The Cognitive Empathy Scale—one dimension of the Cognitive, Affective and Somatic Empathy Scales (CASES)—is a valuable tool for assessing one's ability to intellectually understand the emotions and perspectives of others. With this instrument, you can assess how well you are able to recognize and interpret others' joy and sorrow, no matter the circumstance—even if you've never experienced it yourself.
You can take this test here. Follow all of the steps to receive your results.
References: Raine, A., Chen, F. R., & Waller, R. (2022). The cognitive, affective and somatic empathy scales for adults. Personality and Individual Differences, 185, 111238.