Washington parents already know how important it is for their children to get a good education. However, researchers believe that schools could be doing more to educate children while simultaneously reducing teen crime rates. Research has shown that the simple act of teaching empathy can have a positive impact on youth.
The impact of empathy
According to experts, empathy is an essential skill for health and overall well-being. Like any skill, few people are born innately able to perform it, meaning that it needs to be taught. The impact of learning a skill like empathy is long reaching, and a recent study even found that teaching it in schools can lower the crime rate for teenagers and young adults.
These researchers believe that teaching empathy in school, alongside other subjects like math and history, is an effective tool, and they even cite studies performed in other countries to back up their findings. At least two studies performed in European countries found that teaching empathy reduced bullying among children who participated in the program. Some of the benefits of empathy include:
- Lower levels of aggression
- Less gang-related activity
- Greater care for other people
Children and teens in Washington have little to no control over the environments in which they are brought up. This means that some youths were simply never taught to develop certain social skills, including those that are important for empathy that may help in reducing the teen crime rate. When a child is facing criminal charges, it is important to consider his or her background and what role that might play in constructing a strong defense.