Human beings are designed by evolution to form meaningful interpersonal relationships through verbal and nonverbal communication. This principle is the same whether the individual is male or female; an infant, a child, an adolescent, or an adult; or healthy or sick. The theme that empathic human connections are beneficial to the body and mind underlies all 12 chapters of this book, in which empathy is viewed from a multidisciplinary perspective that includes evolution; neuropsychology; clinical, social, developmental, and educational psychology; and health care delivery and education. The author explains why empathy is essential to positive health outcomes, shows how it can be measured, anddemonstrates how professionals can benefit from its enhancement.

Mohammadreza Hojat, Ph.D. is Research Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, and Director of the Jefferson Longitudinal Study of Medical Education at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was born in Mashhad, Iran, received his bachelor’s degree from Pahlavi University (currently University of Shiraz), his master’s degree from the University of Tehran in Iran, and his doctoral degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Hojat is a licensed psychologist in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and has published more than 170 articles in peer-reviewed journals on educational, psychological, and social issues. Dr. Hojat is a manuscript referee for several American and European professional journals, and has served as a co-editor of two books: Loneliness: Theory, Research, and Applications (Sage, 1987), and Assessment Measures in Medical School, Residency, and Practice: The Connections (Springer, 1993).