THE COMPASSION

🧐 I am observing a situation in which a vulnerable person is in a downward spiral, with their condition deteriorating

📖 Efference of affective resonance, whereby another person’s suffering or distress is assimilated into one’s own experience. Acts as a social glue within society. Whilst the person affected is often isolated in their grief, the expression of compassion restores the communicative connection. It signals the preparedness to acknowledge the other person’s situation and, where appropriate, to offer support in order to work through the negative discrepancy in their experience together

😉 The eyebrows remain in their neutral position

😶 The gaze is focused on the action, but in a narration it can also drift off into the distance

🤔 The corners of the mouth are pulled inwards and downwards at the same time. The mouth moves forward as if in thought; otherwise, the expression seems almost devoid of any emotion

🤓 One senses that this is not merely a matter of EXAMINING — the expression is defined by the corners of the mouth, which are turned slightly downwards. The suffering of others affects us most deeply when we see it before our eyes; in such cases, we also perceive the sufferer’s facial expressions, are moved by them, and empathise more deeply than if we were to learn of it only indirectly