As writer Jeremy D. Larson beautifully put it, relatability is the chief psychological lubricant that glides us thoughtlessly down the endless social media feeds.
One place that seems to have plenty of this substance is Twitter. But with 6,000 tweets made every second (or 350,000 per minute and 500 million per day), it can be easy to miss the good stuff the platform has to offer.
Luckily, there's a subreddit called r/RelatableTweets, an online community dedicated exclusively to collecting those which perfectly describe the human experience, be it through work, dating, or other key areas of everyday life.
Continue scrolling to check out what its members have gathered so far, and don't miss the talk we had about empathy with linguist, writer, academic researcher, and knowledge worker Dr. Karen Stollznow. You'll find it between the images.
This post may include affiliate links.
We’ve Reached It. The Pinnacle Of This Subreddit
The Human Body Is A Mystery
The ability to emotionally understand what other people feel, see things from their point of view, and imagine yourself in their place is called empathy. It means that when you see another person suffering, such as after they've lost a loved one, you are able to instantly envision yourself going through that same experience and feel what they are going through.
And there are plenty of commonalities between us. "Research shows that some human emotions are universal to people all over the world. These basic emotions include sadness, happiness, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust," Dr. Karen Stollznow, the author of On the Offensive: Prejudice in Language Past and Present, told Bored Panda.
Honestly Tho
Relatable
Thirty and flirty and thriving more like thirty and dirty and dying... heh... amirite...
"Empathy is an important ability because it helps us to understand how other people think and feel. It allows us to have compassion for others, and for us to be able to relate to family and friends, colleagues, and even strangers," Stollznow explained.
People often use the words 'empathy' and 'sympathy' interchangeably, but they are actually separate processes.
When we feel sympathy for someone, we identify with the situation that the person finds themself in. This can be a genuine feeling; we can feel sympathy for people we've never met and for a plight we've never experienced, as well as for people we know and scenarios that are familiar to us.
However, sympathy doesn't necessarily connect us to the person. We can be sympathetic to their situation while being completely clueless about their personal feelings and thoughts.
Why Is This So True?
My Life:
My wife was the one that taught me the most effective tool in a family that interrupted me constantly. She said it seems to really frustrate you when you can't finish the sentence in one go. It does. Start again when they interrupted you maybe to make it clear. It has worked wonders for me. I now sound like a homeroom teacher sometimes but it works
Oooooooooo
“Cps Will Be Hearing Of This”
Empathy is something else. It consists not just of emotion sharing (a largely unconscious process), but executive control to regulate and modulate the experience.
Both are supported by specific and interacting neural systems. Mimicry is part of human interaction, and it happens on an unconscious level; we imitate the facial expressions of those we interact with, along with their vocalizations, postures, and movements.
This may have helped early humans communicate and feel closeness. And it's the component that precedes empathy. Neuroscience also confirms that seeing someone in pain activates the parts of your brain that register pain.
Sounds Like He Was Kind Of Being A [jerk]
![Sounds Like He Was Kind Of Being A [jerk]](https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/1035302560695869440-png__censored__700.jpg "Sounds Like He Was Kind Of Being A [jerk]")
The Beast Known As Vakoom
"There are some people who lack empathy, which is sometimes called 'apathy,'" Karen Stollznow said. "Certain psychiatric conditions may play a role in a deficit of empathy, such as narcissistic personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, and antisocial personality disorder.
"Some people with these conditions may be manipulative and deceptive, and not care for other people's feelings. In more general terms, lacking the ability to consider the emotional state of others is on the rise in our polarized social and political culture."
Things Got Complicated After The Accident
To Be Fair They Are Pretty Spooky
Relatable
However, if you can't relate to another person, that doesn't mean you're dead inside. Everyone can experience low empathy at times. For example, it may be natural to have difficulty connecting with someone who has harmed us.
There is some debate on whether a person is born with low empathy or if upbringing, social factors, or life experiences may hinder their ability to develop it. Genetics may also play a role.
Psychiatric conditions aside, other possible reasons behind low empathy include modeling, low emotional intelligence, burnout, and stress.
The Same 2 Brain Cells Are Responsible For Saying “You Too” When The Waiter Tells You To Enjoy Your Meal
Facts
If You Wanna Be Hotter, You Should Drink Lots Of Water
U Still Using Clothes At All? Lmao
The good thing is that empathy can be developed. It's a skill that you can learn and strengthen. Here are a few things that you can do:
- Work on listening to people without interrupting;
- Pay attention to body language and other types of nonverbal communication;
- Try to understand people, even when you don't agree with them;
- Ask people questions to learn more about them and their lives;
- Imagine yourself in another person's shoes;
- Strengthen your connection with others to learn more about how they feel;
- Seek to identify biases you may have and how they affect your empathy for others;
- Look for ways in which you are similar to others versus focusing on differences;
- Be willing to be vulnerable, opening up about how you feel;
- Engage in new experiences, giving you better insight into how others in that situation may feel;
- Get involved in organizations that push for social change.
Or, you know, scroll through some relatable tweets!
Can Anyone Else Relate To This?
Scrolling To The Song You Were Listening To Is The Most Frustrating Part
I Would Genuinely Love To Know
My parents think therapy is a waste of time and I’m a minor. The only thing keeping me going is my friends
Dad Please I'm Trying My Best
Worst thing was - my father used to do this to me the night before a maths exam, when the one thing that might have helped me to do better in my exam might have been a good night’s sleep and not going into school physically shaking after having vomited from stress and anxiety all morning. Then, once the exam was over, he’d leave me to struggle without ever practicing math or helping me with homework or anything ever again, right until the night before the next math exam. And that’s only one of the many reasons I’m not in contact with him anymore.
He's Not Wrong
Don’t Delete Me
This Seems Accurate
Who Else Gets This When You Look Out Of A Window?
That One Friend
My Ideal Saturday Night
Same
I live in Greece where there are on average 250 days of sunshine and I still manage to have vit d insufficiency!
How Many Times Has This Happened To You
They Have To Know What They’re Doing, Right?
Looks like fuckass is not yet on BP's censorship list. Fuckassy Fuckassing Fuckass. [Update 9h later - censored. We had some fun guys, it was worth it.]
Probably In Your Best Interest To Avoid The Harpy Eagle
True Though
How’s The Weather?
The Baby’s Been In There For 9 Months, It Can Wait A Couple More Minutes
The Next Billion Dollar App
And Then They Ask You What You Thought Of It The Next Time You See Them
My friend has been trying to get me to watch this one anime for at least 6 months now..... I am proud to say that I have gotten no farther than the opening credits sequence
Title
Me
Facts
Well, yeah, but you generally aren't allowed 5 cocktails before presenting a school project.
It Would Be A Hit!
there's a thing like that called 'good as it gets' with jack nicholson. basically that.
It So Do Be Like That
I'm Called Out Lmao
Hmm What Shall I Do Today?
That’s Actually So True
I Know It Ain't Just Me!
The Good Ol' Times
Relatable Af!!
That’s going to be a lot of people looking at their electricity bills
Sadly
Who don't jiggle the handle? I always jiggle the handle. I paid for that drop of gas, I want it.
So True Back In Second Grade
This is the opposite of my experience in secondary school (high school age). The girls were definitely more vicious than the boys. Boys v girls usually had more outward aggression from the boys, but more viciousness and cunning from the girls (level of violence was pretty similar on both sides though)
I Hate Why It Is Like This
Fr
Add "on her birthday" and you've got the perfect guilt machine
Sorry If This Is A Repost
Prob Just Me
👍
DON'T MAKE LEMONADE. MAKE LIFE TAKE THE LEMONS BACK! GET MAD! I DON'T WANT YOUR DAMN LEMONS! What am I supposed to do with these? DEMAND TO SEE LIFE'S MANAGER! MAKE LIFE RUE THE DAY IT DECIDED TO GIVE CAVE JOHNSON LEMONS! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!?! I'M THE MAN WHO'S GONNA BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN! WITH THE LEMONS!
I’m Not Wrong
#growingupwithglasses
So Relatable
Hi I’m James And I Like To Party
Just One More Video
It’s True Tho 😂
I Just Can’t
Every Year 😂
That's my birthday as well, so I hear it so much more often than I need to. Instead of "Happy Birthday!" It's "MaY tHe FoUrTh Be WiTh YoU"
For The People Who Pray At Least
I get intrusive thoughts like ‘what if god isn’t real’. I mean, as I’ve got older I have veered more agnostic, but praying is not an appropriate time for my brain to remind me of this 😅
Online Class
I can relate to so many of these.... not sure if that's a good thing though...
Here's one - did you ever have a "just one more post on Bored Panda, then sleep" moment at 3am when you have to be up at 6am?
I think the best takeaway from this listicle is that fuckass bypasses BP’s content filter. I’ll enjoy it while I can.
Yep, so did I. I wanted to have as much fun as possible before I post another harmless unpopular comment that lands me in BP jail again.
Load More Replies... I can relate to so many of these.... not sure if that's a good thing though...
Here's one - did you ever have a "just one more post on Bored Panda, then sleep" moment at 3am when you have to be up at 6am?
I think the best takeaway from this listicle is that fuckass bypasses BP’s content filter. I’ll enjoy it while I can.
Yep, so did I. I wanted to have as much fun as possible before I post another harmless unpopular comment that lands me in BP jail again.
Load More Replies...
