Women suck at empathy, men suck at sympathy

[Anonymous]

So hear me out on this (and no hate pls, despite the somewhat intentionally incendiary title - let's all be friends here). For context, I mean sympathy and empathy for the other sex. Also note that when I say "they" or "men" or "women", I am speaking in very general terms. Of course, there is a curve for all traits, these are just general patterns I've noticed.

I have noticed in observing certain family members and friends that very often when confronted with the emotional struggles of a relative or spouse, men don't know how to react and will defensively withdraw. I think this is because they recognize that a woman has an issue, but just don't think it's sensible/reasonable in their conception (or they just don't feel equipped to deal with it). They're empathetic in that they recognize what's going on, they're just bad at providing support (not all, of course - I know many that are).

With women, it's a bit different. It seems like they often don't recognize an issue men have in the first place and find it difficult/near impossible to empathize with a man. However, if they do, which is rare but can happen, they are (I think) generally quite supportive and sympathetic. They're sympathetic in that they tend to provide comfort and support, but they usually just aren't able to really feel or understand men's problems (not all, of course).

Thoughts?

Here's a cat to make you feel better :)

[Guy13]

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