6 ways to cultivate more empathy in your life and in the world
We live in a world that tempts us every day to be less empathetic. Whether it’s the conflict-driven world of social media, the daily disasters we see on the news, or the victims of mental illness we see on the streets. Seeing and feeling others’ pain can be overwhelming. However, as humans we are hard-wired…
We live in a world that tempts us every day to be less empathetic. Whether it’s the conflict-driven world of social media, the daily disasters we see on the news, or the victims of mental illness we see on the streets. Seeing and feeling others’ pain can be overwhelming.
However, as humans we are hard-wired to be empathetic. We aren’t just self-serving beings whose relationships are wholly transnational in nature. We have evolved to give without receiving, to feel for those we’ve never met, and to cooperate and provide mutual aid in our communities.
Roman Krznaric, Ph.D., a founding faculty member of The School of Life in London and empathy adviser to the United Nations, made a list of six ways that we can cultivate empathy to be better members of our community and planet.
Habit 1: Cultivate curiosity about strangers
Highly empathetic people are very interested in strangers. They will chat with the person behind them in line at the supermarket and crack a joke or two with the gas station teller.
But cultivating curiosity in others isn’t just about small talk. Krznaric believes one of the best ways to cultivate this curiosity is to challenge yourself to have one conversation with a stranger a week. “All it requires is courage,” he wrote.
Habit 2: Challenge prejudices and discover commonalities
It’s very easy to label other people based on their social identities, e.g. “soccer mom” or “hipster.” These labels often prevent us from getting to really know them or explore our commonalities.
To cultivate an attitude of empathy, try to engage in label-free thinking, and focus on the things you share in common instead.
A single door can open up a world of endless possibilities. For homeowners, the front door of their house is a gateway to financial stability, job security, and better health. Yet for many, that door remains closed. Due to the rising costs of housing, 1 in 3 people around the world wake up without the security of safe, affordable housing.
Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity has made it their mission to unlock and open the door to opportunity for families everywhere, and their efforts have paid off in a big way. Through their work over the past 50 years, more than 65 million people have gained access to new or improved housing, and the movement continues to gain momentum. Since 2011 alone, Habitat for Humanity has expanded access to affordable housing by a hundredfold.
A world where everyone has access to a decent home is becoming a reality, but there’s still much to do. As they celebrate 50 years of building, Habitat for Humanity is inviting people of all backgrounds and talents to be part of what comes next through Let’s Open the Door, a global campaign that builds on this momentum and encourages people everywhere to help expand access to safe, affordable housing for those who need it most. Here’s how the foundation to a better world starts with housing, and how everyone can pitch in to make it happen.
Volunteers raise a wall for the framework of a new home during the first day of building at Habitat for Humanity’s 2025 Carter Work Project.
Globally, almost 3 billion people, including 1 in 6 U.S. families, struggle with high costs and other challenges related to housing. A crisis in itself, this also creates larger problems that affect families and communities in unexpected ways. People who lack affordable, stable housing are also more likely to experience financial hardship in other areas of their lives, since a larger share of their income often goes toward rent, utilities, and frequent moves. They are also more likely to experience health problems due to chronic stress or environmental factors, such as mold. Housing insecurity also goes hand-in-hand with unstable employment, since people may need to move further from their jobs or switch jobs altogether to offset the cost of housing.
Affordable homeownership creates a stable foundation for families to thrive, reducing stress and increasing the likelihood for good health and stable employment. Habitat for Humanity builds and repairs homes with individual families, but it also strengthens entire communities as well. The MicroBuild® Initiative, for example, strengthens communities by increasing access to loans for low-income families seeking to build or repair their homes. Habitat ReStore locations provide affordable appliances and building materials to local communities, in addition to creating job and volunteer opportunities that support neighborhood growth.
Marsha and her son pose for a photo while building their future home with Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity in Georgia.
Everyone can play a part in the fight for housing equity and the pursuit of a better world. Over the past 50 years, Habitat for Humanity has become a leader in global housing thanks to an engaged network of volunteers—but you don’t need to be skilled with a hammer to make a meaningful impact. Building an equitable future means calling on a wide range of people and talents.
Here’s how you can get involved in the global housing movement:
Speaking up on social media about the growing housing crisis
Volunteering on a Habitat for Humanity build in your local community
Travel and build with Habitat in the U.S. or in one of 60+ countries where we work around the globe
Join the Let’s Open the Door movement and, when you donate, you can create your own personalized door
Every action, big and small, drives a global movement toward a better future. A safe home unlocks opportunity for families and communities alike, but it’s volunteers and other supporters, working together with a shared vision, who can open the door for everyone.
Robin Williams was notorious for making his scene partners crack up and break character with his off-the-cuff antics. However, one costar remained eternally stone-faced: Sally Field.
In an interview with Stephen Colbert, Field recalls working with Williams on the set of Mrs. Doubtfire, where he would constantly try, and fail, to elicit even a polite giggle from her.
Much to his disappointment, “I would never laugh, ever,” quipped Field, even when “ everybody else was laughing and carrying on.”
One might assume that a consummate professional like Field perhaps felt the constant jokes were inappropriate or overly distracting. But no. They just weren’t her cup of tea.
“It wasn’t funny. It just wasn’t funny,” she told Colbert while chuckling. “Robin was always trying something different to make me laugh. It was so unfunny. I can’t begin to tell you.”
The one joke that actually made Sally Field break
Field remained Williams’ white whale throughout the entire production, which “drove him mad.” And to really add insult to injury, Pierce Brosnan successfully made her lose it with a simple fart gag.
“We were sitting at a table at the restaurant, and [Brosnan] made a fart noise on his arm. And I was gone. That was it. I laughed so hard they had to redo my makeup.”
Why their chemistry in Mrs. Doubtfire still feels so real
Knowing their behind-the-scenes dynamic adds a whole new layer of authenticity to Mrs. Doubtfire, doesn’t it?
In the movie, Field and Williams are a divorced couple. Miranda, portrayed by Field, constantly feels like she is having to bear all the responsibility of raising their three children while Daniel, played by Williams, seemingly never takes anything seriously.
That said, Williams and Field still seemed to have a genuine friendship.
In 2024, she told Vanity Fair that her father had passed away during filming.
“I was of course beside myself,” Field shared. “I came on the set trying with all my might to act. I wasn’t crying. Being extremely “sensitive and intuitive,” Williams picked up that something was wrong, and even made arrangements for Field to leave filming to make arrangements.
“Robin came over, pulled me out of the set, and asked, ‘Are you OK?’” she told Vanity Fair. When Field answered, Williams replied, “Oh my God, we need to get you out of here right now. And he made it happen—they shot around me the rest of the day.”
So, while Williams might have never made Field chuckle, it feels safe to say that he nevertheless won her respect and admiration.
Field stars in the upcoming film adaptation of Remarkably Bright Creatures. While she hailed her costar Lewis Pullman as “one of the best leading men” she’s ever worked with, she didn’t say anything about him making her laugh either. Regardless, her warmth, humor, and emotional depth are just as magnetic today as they were during her unforgettable run alongside Williams.
It’s no secret that teaching is tough, and educators deserve all the dollars we can throw at them. But that doesn’t mean the job doesn’t have its perks. Working with kids means witnessing all the wild, weird, and wonderful ways their brains work, which can result in some moments worth memorializing.
Case in point: this video from kindergarten teacher Mrs. Jamieson, in which a student told her she had some “secret good news” to share with her.
If you’ve spent much time with children, you might hold your breath waiting to hear what comes next. A phrase like “secret good news” could go in literally any direction, but no one expected the way this one would go.
“Tell me your ‘secret good news,’ please,” Mrs. Jamieson said, undoubtedly bracing herself for whatever this little angel was about to say.
“I’ve never told you I was an African-American,” the girl said, her smile obvious even though we can’t see her.
Mrs. Jamieson, to her credit, made an incredulous face and said, “What?!”
“I was an African-American this whole time!” the student said, giggling. Oh, what a darling. And wow, what a “secret” for a teacher to respond to.
“Baby, I knew!” said Mrs. Jamieson. She asked the student if she had just found out she was African-American, and she said yes, her sister had told her. But the girl seemed utterly shocked that her teacher already knew.
“Yeah,” Mrs. Jamieson said. “You’ve been African-American the whole time! Beautiful! So beautiful. I knew. And I knew you were beautiful.”
The student giggled, then came around the desk for two big hugs. As the girl embraced her teacher, we can see her hands, which had some commenters cracking up. It was definitely no suprise to her teacher that she is African-American.
The delight in the video isn’t just this child’s innocence, though. It was the way Mrs. Jamieson filled this little girl up with so much love.
“I love you,” she said. “You bring so much joy to me. You fill my bucket, do you know that?”
A teacher’s words hold a lot of power, for better and for worse. What a prime example of using that power in the best way.
“I started recording when she first told me she had ‘secret’ good news because I didn’t know what was going to come out of her mouth, and I’m so glad I did!” Jamieson tells Upworthy. “This year has been a tough one, but in teaching, there’s always the ‘why’ moments. The moments that remind you why you do what you do, and the fact that I caught one on camera was amazing. When I watched it back, it brought me so much joy I couldn’t keep it to myself! The outpouring of love has been incredible.”
So many commenters praised Mrs. Jamieson for the way she handled the totally unexpected revelation:
“I was nowhere near prepared for that to be the secret. Your reaction was EVERYTHING though.”
“Small children are the best 😭😭😩 Thank you for telling her you seen her the entire time and that she’s beautiful. 🩷👏🏾”
“Thank you for not pretending like you didn’t know and ‘don’t see color.’ Thank you for pouring into her by saying hey, I already knew that AND, I already knew you were BEAUTIFUL. As a darker skinned black woman who has been in these spaces, I would have killed to have a teacher pour into me this way at such a young age. I am also a former long time educator and have so much respect for how you loved on her, including the hug(s). Way to go!”
“Can I say I love that she called it ‘good news.’ When I was her age I was teased for being black and teased for my hair that for a while I wanted to be anything other than black. I love how proud she is and you affirming her.”
Little kids and excellent teachers really are the best of us, aren’t they?
People have been struggling with imposter syndrome, or the deep fear that others will discover you’re a fraud, forever. The fear says that despite all the evidence to the contrary, you are a failure and are faking competence at all times.
Though the term wasn’t coined until the 1970s, even one of the greatest American novelists of all time suffered from severe self-doubt: F. Scott Fitzgerald.
It took Fitzgerald nine years after the release of The Great Gatsby to publish another book, and even still, he wasn’t confident in it. So, he wrote to a friend for advice: None other than Ernest Hemingway.
If you’re looking for advice on how to defeat self-doubt and imposter syndrome, look no further than the words of wisdom written between two of the greatest literary minds of the 20th century.
Hemingway gives Fitzgerald some much-needed tough love
The Great Gatsby, today, is considered one of the great American novels. However, when it was published in 1925, the reception was lukewarm.
“Fitzgerald’s Latest A Dud,” one newspaper headline read.
Partially as a result, he fitzed and fussed over his next novel for years. He also struggled with mental health, his marriage, and alcoholism during that time. Finally, though, he followed up Gatsby with Tender Is the Night in 1934.
By all accounts, Fitzgerald was not happy with the book, even though he had wanted it to become the best American novel of all time—an awful lot of pressure for anyone to put on themselves. He worried he’d never write anything as good as Gatsby again. He asked Hemingway for his opinion, which Hemingway gladly delivered in a way that only he could:
“I liked it and I didn’t,” Hemingway writes, bluntly. He goes on for paragraphs about all the ways the book is lacking before softening. “It’s a lot better than I say. But it’s not as good as you can do.”
Hemingway’s advice to F. Scott Fitzgerald on how to ignore the critics, including himself
Though Hemingway chastised Fitzgerald for taking too many liberties with the story, “cheating,” and stuffing the novel with “good stuff… that it didn’t need,” he ultimately writes to console his friend.
“For Christ sake write and don’t worry about what the boys will say nor whether it will be a masterpiece nor what. I write one page of masterpiece to ninety one pages of shit. I try to put the shit in the wastebasket. You feel you have to publish crap to make money to live and let live.”
It’s brilliant advice. One way of conquering imposter syndrome is positive thinking and affirmations: “I do belong.”
Another is to realize that everyone else around you is just making it up as they go, too. And that’s the point Hemingway is getting at. Even he, who had written The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms by this point, admits that most of what he writes is trash.
A wonderful, if harsh, pep talk. But Hemingway isn’t finished:
“Scott, good writers always come back. Always. You are twice as good now as you were at the time you think you were so marvellous. You know I never thought so much of Gatsby at the time. You can write twice as well now as you ever could. All you need to do is write truly and not care about what the fate of it is. … Go on and write.”
Modern psychologists’ advice has plenty of overlap with Hemingway
In parts of his letter, Hemingway urged Fitzgerald to stop feeling bad for himself and to channel his pain into his best work.
“Forget your personal tragedy. We are all bitched from the start and you especially have to hurt like hell before you can write seriously. But when you get the damned hurt use it.”
One evidence-based strategy for overcoming imposter syndrome is coming up with what psychologists call a “post-mistake compassion plan.” It’s a strategy for moving forward with confidence after screwing up. That’s what Hemingway was trying to help Fitzgerald do; recognize that Tender Is the Night was perhaps not his best work, but that he was more than talented enough to get off the mat and come back stronger.
No one is perfect, and falling down doesn’t mean you don’t belong.
In the end, it’s hard to say if things did get better for Fitzgerald. LitHub writes, “he ended his too-short life doing Hollywood hack work to make ends meet before dying, largely forgotten, his final novel left unfinished. His life has long been viewed as a classic tragedy—glamorous rise, brutal fall.”
But the result was not for a lack of his friends, like Hemingway, trying to help.
“[I] was always trying to get him to work and tell the truth at least to himself,” Hemingway wrote. “Well, the hell with all of it.”
We should all be so lucky as to have someone in our lives who will, harshly if need be, insist on reminding us of our own talent and worth.
When Candace Eng and Diana Prince met in college 50 years ago, they had no idea they would become besties. It’s a friendship that has been both life-changing and life-saving for them.
The friends were recently walking in New York City when they were asked whether they were best friends by Seth Clayton of Besties NYC. Candace revealed her breast cancer diagnosis and the support Diana has given her throughout it in the now-viral video. The emotional clip reached millions of people, inspiring many to donate to Candace’s cancer treatment.
“We have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of support and kind comments,” the friends tell Upworthy. “Total strangers come up to us saying how much they have been touched by our genuine friendship. It’s amazing how many people just hug [us].”
“We met in September 1976 at Manhattan Community College, in an English class,” they tell Upworthy.
They sat next to each other and exchanged numbers to keep in touch. Food brought them together after Candace and her mom invited Diana to lunch, where she was introduced to Chinese food for the first time. From there, their friendship grew.
Candace began modeling and introduced Diana to the process. With shared modeling experiences, the two decided to start a tradition of spending holidays together. They both eventually married, and Diana moved to Connecticut. Candace had her son in 1989, with Diana following with her first son in 1992. Although their lives were busy, they still saw each other for the holidays.
Diana and Candace at Candace’s baby shower. Photo credit: Image courtesy of Candace Eng and Diana Prince
“As the boys aged, we started to get together more often and were always on the phone,” they share.
Candace’s breast cancer diagnosis
When Candace learned she had breast cancer, she immediately called Diana. Diana’s mom had cancer and suggested Candace get a second opinion. She learned her cancer was worse than the original diagnosis, but it was still in an early stage.
“We went to all appointments together,” they share.
After Candace’s mastectomy, she spent her time recovering at Diana’s apartment. Her treatments have included chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy, and Diana has been by her side every step of the way.
“I know that if the tables were turned, Candace would be there in a heartbeat. Her love and friendship are totally unconditional,” Diana says. “Candace is a very giving person, to a fault, never thinking of herself.”
Many people were touched by Candace and Diana’s friendship, and a GoFundMe was started by Diana’s husband, Kevin, to help cover Candace’s care and treatments.
“She is facing all of this from public housing, on government assistance, food stamps, and Medicare,” he wrote in the GoFundMe. “She has spent her life on the bottom rung, and now she’s fighting the hardest battle of that life with almost nothing in her pockets.”
Thousands of generous people donated, raising more than $125,000 to help support her.
“I want to pass on to others in need just how much total strangers have buoyed my spirits,” says Candace. “I am a changed person who has gained self-confidence and believes in herself now. If we can change people’s lives, we will be happy. The experience of strangers wanting to have or give us a hug is amazing. We both realize how important touch is and how healing a simple hug or touch on the arm is to all of us.”
When a friend dies, it can feel like a part of you died with them. And in some sense, it’s true. The parts of you that a friend brings out may not come out the same way with anyone else. Each of our relationships has its own unique dynamic, and every friendship taps into different parts of us.
Author C.S. Lewis wrote about this truth in his book, The Four Loves. But he took it a step further to explain how losing one friend in a group changes our friendships with others who knew them, too.
It may look like a math story problem at first, but stick with it: “If, of three friends (A, B, and C), A should die, then B loses not only A, but ‘A’s part in C,’ while C loses not only A but ‘A’s part in B.’”
“In each of my friends, there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out,” he explains. “By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets.”
Then he gives an example to illustrate. (The word Caroline might be confusing—it’s a formal adjective meaning “Charles-like.”):
“Now that Charles is dead, I shall never again see Ronald’s reaction to a specifically Caroline joke. Far from having more of Ronald, having him ‘to myself’ now that Charles is away, I have less of Ronald.”
Group friendships can sometimes suffer from perceptions of favoritism or jealousy, but Lewis tosses that idea on its head.
“Hence true Friendship is the least jealous of loves,” Lewis wrote. “Two friends delight to be joined by a third, and three by a fourth, if only the newcomer is qualified to become a real friend. They can then say, as the blessed souls say in Dante, ‘Here comes one who will augment our loves.’ For in this love ‘to divide is not to take away.’”
Is C.S. Lewis right about friendships and jealousy?
The idea that different friends bring out different parts of us and the effect of friend loss on a friend group’s individual relationships feels pretty spot on. But what about friendship being the “least jealous of loves” part? Is that true?
We’ve likely all seen or experienced the reality of group friendships, which can sometimes involve some feelings of jealousy. Maybe two friends hang out more with each other than they do with others in the group. Perhaps one friend makes a new connection with someone outside the friend group and starts pulling away. Jealousy can creep in when friendships shift.
“Two is not in fact the perfect number for friendship… friendship is by nature the least jealous of all loves.”
In an ideal world, Lewis is right that to divide love doesn’t take anything away, but that doesn’t mean jealousy never happens. And though it can pose problems, jealousy in friendship isn’t always a bad thing.
In fact, a study from Arizona State University, Oklahoma State University, and Hamilton College found that feelings of jealousy can actually be a useful tool in maintaining friendships.
“Getting jealous can sometimes be a signal that a friendship is threatened, and this signal can help us jump into action to invest in a friendship that we might have been neglecting,” said Athena Aktipis, assistant professor of psychology at ASU and author on the paper.
Friendships are good for us, even if we don’t technically need them
Lewis also wrote in The Four Loves, “Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art…. It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.”
C.S. Lewis (top right, standing) with his University College classmates in 1917. (Photo credit: unknown/public domain
Modern science agrees. Greek researchers conducted a meta-study of adult friendships and well-being, analyzing 38 research articles published from 2000 to 2019, and found:
“Although individuals could reap the benefits of friendship from other social sources as well, it became evident that friendship is a special type of relationship, with a unique contribution to wellbeing. As a result, friendships have survived through the years and, in our days, are considered as vital to psychological flourishing.”
Here’s to the friends who bring out the parts of us we might otherwise never see and who contribute to our psychological flourishing.
Mrs. Doubtfire has been a comedy favorite for Millennials and many other generations since 1993. The movie starred Robin Williams and Sally Field as divorced parents, with Williams dressing in drag as the older Mrs. Doubtfire to work as a nanny and spend time with his children.
Given the wacky hijinks of the film, many fans have wondered what it must have been like for the stars when the cameras were off. It turns out they fired up a Nintendo to play The Legend of Zelda between takes.
Field was interviewed to promote the film Remarkably Bright Creatures alongside her co-star Lewis Pullman. The interviewer, Jake Hamilton, asked Field about her favorite memory working on the set of Mrs. Doubtfire with Williams. Field answered that one of her favorite memories was Williams coming to her rented apartment to play The Legend of Zelda together.
Playing games, making movie memories
Williams was known to be a Zelda enthusiast. What wasn’t widely known is that Field became just as big a fan. In fact, she currently has a Nintendo Switch 2 to keep playing the games.
“We’d play the early games of Zelda together. Zelda, the computer game, that I still play with my grandsons,” said Field. “Even when my grandsons aren’t there, I pretend they are there. I play them.”
Field then asked her younger co-star Pullman whether he played the games. She playfully chastised him when he admitted he was missing out.
“What the hell is the matter with you?! It’s so fun,” she said with a laugh.
Williams’ connection to The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda is a Nintendo video game franchise that has released 21 games in the main series. Most of the games focus on the young warrior Link as he battles monsters and solves puzzles to rescue Princess Zelda. The series has continued to produce new entries since its debut in 1986.
Williams became a fan of the original game when it was released in North America in 1987. He enjoyed it so much that he named his daughter after the titular character. When the developers of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time released the game for the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo had both Robin and Zelda Williams star in heartfelt commercials for the game together.
After his death, fans of the games found a possible reference to Williams in the The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom games. While it hasn’t been confirmed by Nintendo, gaming fans believe that the non-playable character Dayto is a tribute to him because of the facial and vocal resemblance between the two.
Video games are a medium for all ages
Field’s connection to the The Legend of Zelda franchise reinforces how video game fandom is becoming increasingly cross-generational, with many older people picking up a controller to play with their families and on their own. In the end, you can never know what a person is into based on appearances. As many gamers just discovered with Field, you don’t know what you might have in common with someone unless you ask.
Hey there, millennials! Welcome to the “Holy crapoly, I have real-life memories from 20 years ago!” club. It’s a strangely disorienting milestone to reach when you find yourself starting sentences with, “When I was young…” or, “Back in my day…” isn’t it? Your Gen X elders have been here for a while, but even we have moments of incredulously calculating how the heck we’ve arrived at this place. Time is a tricky little jokester, isn’t it?
If you’re down for some good-old-days nostalgia, check out people’s responses:
Making brown paper bag book covers
“I can cover a textbook with a brown paper bag.” – sourwaterbug
Oh goodness yes. And there was always that one girl in class who had the art of the brown paper bag book cover perfected. (They’re probably Pinterest influencers now.)
Maps on actual paper
“I can re-fold a map correctly.” – JungleZac
“Man remember actually using maps…I had an atlas with the road system in my car to navigate other states during road trips. Crazy.” – jagua_haku
How did we ever figure out how to get anywhere before GPS and Google Maps? (Two-inch thick road atlases in our car and stopping at gas stations to buy local maps while traveling, that’s how. Positively primitive.)
Memorizing phone numbers and answering the house phone
“Not only that, having to speak to your friend’s parents for a few minutes when you call their house.”– Logical_Area_5552
“How to take a message when the person they want to talk to isn’t there.” – Amoori_A_Splooge
How about dialing on a rotary phone, using a pay phone and making (or taking) a collect call?
“Using your shoulder to hold a telephone up to your ear while doing multiple other things at once. Now, the phones are so damned small I drop them.” – Regular_Sample_5197
“100 ft phone cords ” – mrch1ck3nn
“I got in sooooo much trouble for stretching the phone cord into the bathroom for some privacy. Accidentally clotheslined Grandma She laughed about it but Mom was pissed!” – AffectionateBite3827
Recording songs off the radio was an art form
I don’t think kids these days fully grasp how revolutionary Spotify and the like are for those of us who spent hours in front of the radio with our cassette tape recorder queued up at just the right spot waiting for the song we wanted to record to come on. And they will never, ever know the frustration of the DJ yapping right up until the lyrics start.
“‘Shut up, shut up, shut up!!! I’m trying to record my song!!!’” –tearsonurcheek
“Having the first side be tempting enough that they’d flip the other side to continue listening. That’s before continual playback machines existed. Had to flip the cassette.” – CrunchyTeaTime
“Haha yeah and trying to tell others so they don’t make random noise or knock on the door.” – anonymous
“How about making cassette-based mix tapes, trying to figure out to the second, how many and which types of songs in which order, that would still fit perfectly on the length of tape per side.” – anonymous
“People who make digital recordings do not have to worry about running out of tape.” – anonymous
And there were many more, from rewinding a cassette tape with a pencil to writing in cursive to tearing the sides off of printer paper without tearing the paper itself. (Oh and, of course, the ability to count out change and understand what you’re supposed to do if something costs $9.91 and someone hands you $10.01.)
Gotta love it when the things that used to be totally normal now sound like historic artifacts found in a museum. Kind of makes you wonder what normal things from today we’ll be laughing about in another 20 or 30 years.
This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated.
English may boast one of the lengthiest vocabularies in the world, but there are still entire emotional universes Merriam-Webster can’t quite encapsulate. Thankfully, other cultures can. Our ability to understand these layered, sometimes conflicting feelings proves that beneath our differences, we share the same emotional language.
Here are some of the most beautifully specific emotions that have no English equivalent, grouped by the inner worlds they illuminate. Together, they show one thing: human feelings are far more connected than we might assume,
1. The many faces of love, longing, and heartache
Woman in denim jacket covers face with sleeve, standing outdoors with blurred background. Photo credit: Canva
Chappell Roan said it best: “love is a kaleidoscope.” One of tenderness, ache, inevitability, and memory. These words perfectly capture the emotional fine print of human connection.
Saudade (Portuguese) – A deep nostalgic longing for someone or something loved and lost. The love that lingers long after the moment is gone.
Tu’burni (Arabic) – “I hope I die before you,” said not morbidly but because life without the beloved would be unbearable.
Onsra (Boro, India) – Loving for what you know will be the last time.
Mágoa (Portuguese) – A heartbreak so profound that its traces remain visible in gestures and expressions.
Sielvartas (Lithuanian) – A seemingly endless grief or emotional turmoil, often tied to loss.
Toska (Russian) – Spiritual anguish with no clear cause—sometimes love-sickness, sometimes existential ache.
Koi No Yokan (Japanese) – The feeling that you’re destined to fall in love with someone. Not love at first sight, but the inevitability of it.
Forelsket (Norwegian) – The consuming, euphoric high of new love. Technically, we do have an English equivalent (puppy love).
Mamihlapinatapai (Yaghan) – A shared look between two people, both hoping the other will initiate something they both want.
Gigil (Tagalog) – The irresistible urge to squeeze someone because they’re impossibly cute or beloved.
Jeong (Korean) – A deep, multifaceted emotional bond encompassing love, affection, empathy, and attachment.
These words prove that love cannot be reduced to a single emotion.
2. Awe, inspiration, and emotional transcendence
Woman with outstretched arms in a sunlit field, enjoying the outdoors. Photo credit: Canva
Some emotions lift us out of our everyday selves—through nature, art, music, or inner stillness. These words celebrate those moments when the world feels bigger, deeper, or more alive.
Tarab (Arabic) – A musical ecstasy that transports you.
Duende (Spanish) – The visceral, spine-tingling feeling you get from powerful art.
Shinrin-yoku (Japanese) – The restorative calm from “forest-bathing.”
분위기 / Boon-wee-gi (Korean) – The overall atmosphere or vibe of a situation.
Fika (Swedish) – A ritualized break to slow down and connect (usually over coffee).
Mokita (Kivila) – A painful truth everyone knows but agrees not to mention.
Commuovere (Italian) – Being moved to tears by someone’s story or kindness.
Human life is held together by shared awareness, and these words embody some of those shared experiences.
5. Strength, resilience, and grit
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These words show that courage and resourcefulness take many forms.
Sisu (Finnish) – Deep perseverance and courage in adversity.
Orenda (Huron) – The human will’s power to shape the world despite fate.
Jijivisha (Hindi) – A zest for life; desire to live fully and vibrantly.
加油 / Jiā yóu (Chinese) – “Add oil!” A cheer of encouragement and solidarity.
Desenrascanço (Portuguese) – Cleverly untangling yourself from trouble using creativity.
Pihentagyú (Hungarian) – A relaxed-brain quick-wittedness; clever mental play.
Some emotions are fuel to keep us going.
6. Humor, embarrassment, and the awkwardness of existence
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Humans are messy. These words capture the cringiness that makes us lovable.
Jayus (Indonesian) – A joke so bad it’s good.
Age-otori (Japanese) – When your haircut makes you look worse.
Litost (Czech) – The sting of suddenly realizing your own misery—often with a dash of revenge fantasy.
Lebensmüde (German) – “Life tiredness” that sometimes explains reckless behavior.
They celebrate the ways we laugh our way through being human.
7. Serenity, fulfillment, and slower ways of living
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These words name feelings we desperately need more English words for—the grounded peace that comes from completing something meaningful or living at a human pace.
Yuan bei (Chinese) – Perfect, satisfying accomplishment.
Ailyak (Bulgarian) – Calm, unhurried living.
Meraki (Greek) – Pouring your soul, passion, and creativity into what you do.
Querencia (Spanish) – A place of inner refuge and strength.
Ataraxia (Greek) – Acceptance-based tranquility.
These words are all about the intrinsic fullness that comes from finishing something well, doing things with heart, and letting yourself breathe.
8. The hard-to-define emotional in-betweens
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Some feelings sit in liminal spaces, hard to define but unmistakably human.
Torschlusspanik (German) – The fear that the door of opportunity is closing as you age.
Desbundar (Portuguese) – Letting loose and shedding your inhibitions.
“Bittersweet” is an English word that comes to mind, but how nice to have even more words to choose from.
Why these words matter more than ever
Maybe the real beauty of these untranslatable emotions isn’t that other languages have them and English doesn’t. It’s that humans everywhere feel them, even if we don’t always know how to say them out loud.
So the next time you experience something too complicated to explain, take heart: there’s probably a word for it somewhere in the world…and someone who’s felt it, too.
