An important first step is to cultivate humility. We know from various studies that attitudes of superiority prevent us from reacting to others sadnessand even to our own. Your vagus nerve wont fire when you see a child whos starving, says Keltner, if you think youre better than other people. Amazingly, high-ranking people (including those artificially given high status, in a lab setting) are more likely to ignore pedestrians and to cut off other drivers, and are less helpful to their colleagues and to others in need.

Bittersweet by Susan Cain