Compassion
A feeling of concern for another's suffering paired with a motivation to help.
How it shows up
Compassion often arises on seeing someone struggle: a friend grieving, a stranger falling, news of distant hardship. It combines feeling for their pain with a pull to help or ease it. Some researchers distinguish it from empathic distress, where sharing another's pain becomes overwhelming; compassion seems to involve warmth rather than only shared suffering, though the distinction is still debated. Its motivation to help is what defines it.
How it differs from empathy
Empathy is feeling along with someone's pain; compassion adds warmth and a wish to help, without needing to take on the pain fully.
Notice
When you see someone struggling, notice whether you feel pulled toward them, overwhelmed, or both.
Where it is felt
Felt most in the chest, face and hands.
Based on Nummenmaa et al. (2014), bodily maps of emotions, and related research. The map shows where people report bodily sensation, on average; individual experience varies.