Study finds that our brains are hardwired for empathy, friendship

Perhaps one of the most defining features of humanity is our capacity for empathy - the ability to put ourselves in others' shoes. A new University of Virginia study strongly suggests that we are hardwired to empathize because we closely associate people who are close to us - friends, spouses, lovers - with our very selves. "With familiarity, other people become part of ourselves," said James Coan, a psychology professor in U.Va...