Quote:
Originally Posted by Cd
I've always held the belief that empathy was an ingrained human trait that we are all born with. Studies show that even rats show empathy amongst one another. Do you think that we are all indeed born with the same amount of empathy, and that we lose or gain it based on how we are affected by changes in our lives?
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Infant and toddler studies seem to indicate that we are born being able to empathize. As early as the late 90s researchers had discovered that infants cry when they hear other infants crying, and cry louder than they do when disturbed by other loud sounds. However, it isn't until we are several years old that we can feel empathy intellectually.
As far as the commercial, it sounds like you and others here had the reaction desired by the producers of it. It is, after all, specifically designed to provoke an emotional response, from the characters in it and their relatability to the style of music, imagery, and setting.