Empathy Gap
Cognitive bias in which people underestimate the influences of visceral drives on their own attitudes, preferences, and behaviors.
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Origin
George Loewenstein, a behavioral economist at Carnegie Mellon University, introduced the concept in his 1996 paper "Out of Control: Visceral Influences on Behavior," arguing that drive states like hunger, pain, and desire shape behavior far more than people anticipate. He formalized the term "hot-cold empathy gap" in a 2005 paper in Health Psychology, cementing its place in behavioral economics.
Updated February 22, 2026