Euphoresis: The Positive Empathic Flow 

Most people understand that empathy refers to feeling what others feel. Most people talk about empathy in relation to feeling another’s suffering or pain.

But there’s a whole other side to it.

Here, I want to introduce you to the other half, the missing half, of empathy – how it can also attune to joy, success, and hope… and when it does, it activates something truly powerful.

“Empathy Is Pain”

Having spent several years myself, researching the concept of empathy, having drawn on my personal, professional and research experience as a chartered psychologist, and having written an award-winning book on compassion (the desire to help others), I noticed a gap in our common usage of the term empathy.

Looking back over the last thirty years, well-respected very famous people like Daniel Goleman and Simon Sinek, have written and talked about empathy a lot. In books, on TV, on stage, on TED Talks, on radio and podcasts.

We can be grateful that so many people know about this element of emotional intelligence; this fundamental aspect of what it is to be human.

We generally speak of empathy as an interested and emotional quality – you know what someone is feeling and you feel with them. Yet this is almost always through the lens of suffering: I understand someone is suffering, I feel their pain.

Just yesterday I saw a random LinkedIn post where a nurse and mental health first-aider had stated, ’empathy is pain’. My heart sank. One thing is clear: when we think of empathy we think of misery. We fail to consider the positive power of empathy, it’s benefits to us, or the world around us. 

Empathy Is Also Joyful

According to the research, we can experience ’empathic joy’ (the elevation we feel as a result of helping others), we can experience ‘positive empathy’ (shared joy that fosters social connection), and we can feel ‘freudenfreude’ and ‘sympathetic joy’ (feeling happy for someone when something good happens to them, known as Muditā in Buddhism).

As you can see, there are lots of phrases that express our own positive state when others feel positive.

But I don’t just want to feel this with them, I want to celebrate it, share it … amplify it.

I want to take that moment I feel someone else’s joy and send it outwards, let it flow and watch the ripples of that tiny moment continue on its journey so far away I couldn’t possibly know what effect it could be having on others.

I know that I can share in other’s joy, celebrate their wins, feel elated on their behalf, but I’m left with two questions: (1) what is this thing called? and (2) how can I make it easier for others to do more of it?  

The answer to question is here: When we give a name to something we begin to understand it better. I coined this term specifically to enhance the work I do as a business psychologist coach and speaker. And I hope one day it will become a part of our full understanding on what empathy in action can look like.

Euphoresis is the missing half of empathy – the part that amplifies another person’s joy to expand its reach.

In a word, “Euphoresis”

It took me a while to craft this neologism, and I’m excited to share it with you. If you’re interested in its etymology so that you can understand it for yourself, here it is; if you’d rather skip straight to the practical bits like how to put it into action, feel free to scroll down.

euphoresis (pronounced, eu-FOR-eh-sis). It’s etymology comes from ancient Greek:

εὖ (eu), good, well, true.. It shares the same root as euphoria (feeling well), and eulogy (good words)

φέρειν (phérein), to bear, carry, bring, or produce; phoresis, meaning to carry or transport.

When combined we get, euphoresis; the act of carrying good forward.

When we relate this to empathy, euphoresis: when empathy flows through you and amplifies what’s good.

In sum…

Empathy can move in two directions:

When empathy meets suffering, it becomes compassion – the act of easing someone’s suffering.

When empathy meets joy, it becomes euphoresis – the act of amplifying someone’s joy to expand its impact.

Both are vital. One heals the world. The other helps us rise.

The Neuroscience Bit

I’m totally aware that this might sound like emotional nonsense to a few (that’s okay, we just have to be patient, they will eventually catch on). It could be argued that a word that is difficult to read on the page, or pronounce out loud, will never be adopted. Perhaps I should add ‘neuro’ somewhere, to make it sound more exciting, edifying and contemporary, like this: ‘euphoresis is neurochemical leadership in practice’.

But what I will say on the topic is this…

From the research on the many forms of empathy and how the brain is activated*, when we are using euphoresis we can expect the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine (which is associated with rewards and motivation), serotonin (brings a sense of wellbeing), and oxytocin (enhances bonding and trust).

The case is clear: Euphoresis supports and sustains a ‘feel-good’ factor that, when applied at work, also enhances trust, psychological safety and inspires innovation.

The Beauty of Euphoresis

It’s evidence-based.
It has huge practical implications.
With a sole purpose of enabling humanity to amplify authentic positive emotions.

It’s quite simple really. If you are empathic, you are able to genuinely celebrate someone else’s success. Emotional contagion is real – we mimic, mirror, resonate. As a recent example, watching the Lionesses and the Red Roses teams win their cups gave me a huge rush of excitement and euphoria, even though I’m far from a regular spectator.

If you are not very empathic, when someone else is sharing a win, you’ll likely feel envious of them, and competitive with them, and disappointed that this great thing isn’t happening to you.

The Empathic Flow

When we share in another’s joy, something subtle yet profound begins to shift. The emotional climate changes, within and around us.

Your energy softens. Your perspective opens. Even the tone of your next conversation carries a different frequency. That’s the beauty of Euphoresis: joy that doesn’t stay contained, but moves through you…expanding, harmonising, and quietly transforming the spaces it touches.

You don’t need grand gestures to create it; only a moment of awareness. When you notice someone’s uplifting moment and actively amplify, it strengthens connection, nurtures emotional resilience, and opens the field for new ideas, possibilities, and collective growth.

The Empathic Advantage – Business Case

Empathy at work is no longer simply a “nice to have.” It’s a proven performance driver.

But euphoresis — the intentional amplification of what’s good — takes it a step further, converting empathy into a measurable cultural advantage.

When leaders practise euphoresis, organisations see tangible results across six key domains:

1. Innovation and Creative Problem-Solving

• Positive emotional climates broaden thinking and increase cognitive flexibility.

• Teams exposed to recognition and shared joy generate more ideas, take more creative risks, and recover faster from setbacks.

• Euphoresis reinforces a culture where curiosity and courage feel safe.

2. Motivation and Productivity

• Celebrating progress triggers dopamine, creating intrinsic motivation.

• Recognition of others’ success builds commitment to collective goals, not just personal metrics.

• Leaders who “carry good forward” sustain high performance without burnout.

3. Trust and Psychological Safety

• Publicly valuing others activates oxytocin pathways associated with belonging, and loyalty.

• Shared positive emotion dissolves status anxiety and defensive behaviour, replacing it with openness and collaboration.

• Teams led by empathic, appreciative leaders consistently outperform those driven by fear or competition.

4. Engagement and Retention

• Employees who feel seen and appreciated are four times more likely to feel empowered to do their best work.

• Euphoresis turns recognition from an HR initiative into a living daily habit.

• It builds emotional equity – the deep sense that “I matter here,” which drives retention far more than perks ever can.

5. Resilience and Wellbeing

• Positive emotion strengthens physiological resilience by down-regulating stress responses and supporting faster recovery.

• Euphoresis trains teams to look for what’s working, not just what’s broken; embedding a solutions mindset under pressure.

• Leaders who model this balance protect both compassion and capacity.

6. Reputation and Legacy

• Cultures that amplify good attract talent, clients, and partners aligned with integrity and purpose.

• Euphoresis becomes a differentiator: a visible commitment to human leadership in a metrics-driven world.

• It’s the future language of influence; one that scales trust and connection.

Euphoresis converts empathy into collective energy.

It fuels innovation through appreciation, drives performance through belonging, and builds cultures that thrive on trust, not tension.

Euphoresis invites a new question:

What if you used your empathy to amplify what’s going well?

That single shift turns empathy into a renewable source of energy…for you, your team, your organisation and your clients.

How to Practise Euphoresis Today

To put this very powerful concept into practice is actually very simple.

The Empathic Flow is a gentle dynamic framework that my clients move through when learning to harness the power of euphoresis and expand with it (but that’s for another blog!).

For now, try this…

Notice It. Capture moments of courage, care, or brilliance, however small.

Name It. Acknowledge out loud, directly or indirectly, the quality you’ve witnessed, not just the task achieved.

Amplify it. Tell someone else about this moment of courage or brilliance. Mention it to someone senior. Post it in your team chat, slack channel, or recognition board – wherever good news spreads. And if you don’t have these things at work already, create one!

Act Upon It. What can be done to expand on this, so that other people or projects benefit?

This is euphoresis in action – the empathic flow. Note how it’s not patronising, nor is it anything like toxic positivity. Instead, it is the deliberate appreciation and amplification of existing joy, success and courage, to expand on that. Every time you amplify others positive experience, you are expanding the field of what’s possible for everyone around you.

LEARN HOW TO PUT EUPHORESIS IN ACTION

ONLINE MASTERCLASS

THE EMPATHIC ADVANTAGE: ONLINE MASTERCLASS

Improve trust & team resilience. Learn the 7 keys to amplify what works well, to accelerate sustainable progress.

What if your team’s best moments weren’t rare… but repeatable?

Drawing on the neuroscience of emotional contagion, positive psychology in teams, and empathic leadership styles, you will learn to notice, name, and amplify genuine moments of success, so that your people feel seen and celebrated, engaged, inspired and motivated.

When leaders practice the 7 keys:

• Positive emotion becomes fuel, not fluff.
• Success becomes cultural, not accidental.
• Trust deepens, resilience grows, and results accelerate.

This is not just a feel good webinar (although you will feel really good when by the end!), it is evidence-based and designed to be really simple to follow even for the busiest of leaders.

BOOK NOW & GET

1 hour live online Masterclass, including Q&A
Optional recording
Empathic Advantage Workbook
Empathic Enquiry Workbook, sent one month later to support ongoing learning and insights

Designed and delivered by Jess Baker Chartered Business Psychologist, Leadership Coach & Award-winning Author

The Idea of Empathy in Leadership Isn’t New.

But the concept of Euphoresis Is.

It’s the next evolution: the moment where empathy moves beyond easing pain and begins amplifying the good.

Where emotional intelligence becomes energetic intelligence; an awareness of how shared joy, recognition, and calm confidence ripple through people and systems to create a lasting impact.

The Future of Leadership Is Empathic

With the rise of Artificial Intelligence, we need to work harder to ensure our emotional intelligence gets stronger. People-centred leadership that values both sides of empathy is humanity’s most powerful resource, yet we still don’t fully know how to embrace and amplify it.

When empathy meets suffering, it builds compassion.

When empathy meets joy, it flows with euphoresis.

And when leaders cultivate both, they create cultures that heal and inspire.