Empathy and emotion recognition: A three-level meta-analysis

In daily life, the accurate identification of others' emotions is essential for individuals to respond appropriately in subsequent interactions and to provide effective behavioral feedback. Consequently, emotion recognition plays a crucial role in fostering positive interpersonal relationships and facilitating effective communication within social contexts. Previous research has indicated that empathy is significantly associated with emotion recognition. However, the relationship between the two has not yet reached a consensus. While some studies indicate a significant positive correlation between empathy and emotion recognition, others have reported significant negative correlations or even the absence of any significant relationship. To address this gap, the current study conducted a three-level meta-analysis model to quantitatively integrate the results of existing studies and evaluate the strength of this association. A moderation analysis was performed to investigate the factors contributing to the heterogeneity across studies. The meta-analysis included a total of 70 studies, generating 167 effect sizes and involving 17,880 participants. The results revealed a positive correlation between empathy and emotion recognition. Specifically, both other-oriented affective empathy and cognitive empathy were positively associated with emotion recognition, whereas self-oriented affective empathy exhibited no significant correlation. Moreover, when empathy was measured using the Emotional Quotient, the correlation between empathy and emotion recognition was stronger than when empathy was measured using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy, and other measurements, but was not significantly different from the correlation when empathy was measured using the Basic Empathy Scale. Notably, the strength of the correlation between empathy and emotion recognition diminished with increasing levels of individualism and age. In summary, this comprehensive meta-analysis provides a clear understanding of the relationship between empathy and emotion recognition, suggesting that empathy might play a key role in the development of emotion recognition ability.