Hello. This is 6 Minute
English from BBC
Learning English. I'm Rob.
And I'm Sam.
As awful as the coronavirus
pandemic has been, it's also
highlighted the compassionate
side of human nature -
doctors and nurses helping
the sick.
Yes, and people helping out
elderly relatives and
neighbours, raising money
for charity or wearing
a face mask to keep
others safe.
But the pandemic has
also highlighted a more
worrying issue called
'compassion fatigue'.
Have you heard
of that, Sam?
Yes, I think compassion
fatigue is a kind of emotional
exhaustion which reduces
your ability to empathise
or feel compassion
for others.
Yes, exactly, Sam.
Compassion fatigue has
long been a problem for
people working in medical
professions and is the topic
of this programme.
We'll be hearing how the
suffering and unhappiness
we see on the TV news can
increase feelings
of helplessness.
But first, let me ask you
my quiz question, Sam.
Humanitarian workers see
human suffering on a daily basis
and can easy fall victim to
compassion fatigue. Founded
in 1971, Medecins Sans
Frontieres is one of the
biggest humanitarian
organisations. But what
does Medecins Sans
Frontieres mean? Is it:
a) Medicine to the
frontline?, b) Doctors
without borders?, or
c) Medicine first?
I remember newspapers
calling it MSF and using
its English name, which
I think was, b) Doctors
without borders.
OK, Sam, we ll find out
the answer later on.
Compassion fatigue
centres on the idea that
we can feel too much
empathy and that feeling
can lead to
emotional burnout.
According to psychologist,
Margaret Heffernan,
caring and fatigue are
closely connected.
Caring for others means
taking on someone's pain
yourself and this can have
unhealthy consequences
for the carer.
Well, here's Margaret
Heffernan talking to
BBC World Service's,
The Documentary Podcast.
See if you can hear the
effects of compassion
fatigue she mentions:
As you find people
spending more and more
time online, reading more
and more and more
depressing news and they
become more and more
numb they also become
more and more addicted
to it. And this develops a
kind of state of mind that is
a kind of... it's a form
of learned helplessness,
because I'm consuming
something that's
upsetting me but I
cannot do anything about it.
Margaret Heffernan
mentions that spending too
much time reading
depressing online news
can leave us feeling
numb - unable to feel any
emotions or think clearly
because we are so
upset or afraid.
The news exposes us
to human suffering
around the world which
we feel powerless to help.
This can lead to something
which in psychology is
called learned helplessness -
giving up trying to feel
better because your
previous attempts
have not worked.
This is all incredibly
depressing, Rob!
It sounds like we
have limited
amounts of compassion.
Well, there are more
positive ways of looking
at it, Sam. Here's an
alternative view from Tom
Rivett-Carnac, speaking
with BBC World Service's,
The Documentary Podcast.
I understand why you're
saying that it s finite -
but I also think
compassion is a habit.
So dwelling with that,
developing that habit - yes,
there are a lot of
headwinds to that and the
rapid acceleration of the
news cycle, the focus on
the next problem so
quickly draws our attention
away from developing
those deeper habits as
humanity that gives us
that courage and that
strength to make
these big transformations.
Like Margaret Heffernan,
Tom Rivett-Carnac believes
the news media is
part of the problem.
Online newspapers and
social media, speed up
the news cycle - the
reporting of a particular
news story, from the
first instance to the last.
As a result, we are
constantly worrying
about the next
problem - and this can
easily lead to
emotional fatigue.
Tom emphasises
compassion as a habit to
be developed, instead of
something finite - limited
or having a fixed size.
But such compassionate
habits can be difficult
to cultivate because
they face many
headwinds - forces
blowing in the opposite
direction which stop
you moving forward.
Headwinds such as
the rapid news cycle
which distracts us
from developing
compassion and courage.
Maybe the answer is
to help in whatever
ways we can, without
becoming hard-hearted -
like the volunteers of MSF.
Ah yes - your quiz
question, Rob. You
asked what the French
name Medecins Sans
Frontieres means
in English. I said,
b) Doctors without
borders.
Which was the correct
answer! Well done!
Doctors Without Borders
offer volunteer medical
assistance in the world's
worst conflict zones.
OK, Rob, let s recap
the vocabulary, starting
with compassion fatigue -
emotional exhaustion
which reduces your
feelings of compassion.
This can leave you numb
- unable to feel any
emotions because you
are so shocked or scared.
Learned helplessness
is a psychological term
for when someone stops
trying to feel better
because their previous
attempts failed.
Some people believe
that compassion is
finite - limited or having
a fixed size.
And it can be
disturbed by the news
cycle - the round of
media reports and
reactions to
a news story.
Which can be a
headwind or opposing
force, which stops us
caring for others.
And that's it for
this edition of
6 Minute English.
Bye for now!
Bye!