The death of an individual can have a strong effect on our emotions, but as numbers rise, so does our indifference. Why? Psychologists call this the “identifiable victim effect.”
We are more likely to open our hearts when there is a visible beneficiary whose pain could be assuaged. This is why charities often tell the story of a named, suffering child in their campaigns to attract more donations.
However, our empathy can be a double-edged sword. It would be even harder to raise public awareness of issues that have no identifiable victim at all, such as future generations affected by climate change.
友善讓你懂｜解說：
一個人的死亡，會對我們的情緒產生強烈影響；但隨著死亡人數增加，我們的冷漠也隨之而來。為何如此？心理學家稱這為「可辨識的受害者效應」。
當我們看到一個活生生的人，能因為大家的幫助而減輕痛苦時，我們會更願意為其付出。這就是為什麼慈善公益團體在勸募時，都會宣傳一位有名有姓、正在受苦受難孩童的故事，因為這樣才能獲得更多募款。
然而，我們的同理心也是一把雙面刃。因為對那些缺乏「可辨識受害者」的議題來說（例如：氣候變遷對未來世代的負面影響），就很難引起眾人關注。
輕鬆帶著走｜學習：
double-edged sword 指「雙面刃」，指一件事情同時存在好與壞兩種面向。
例句：
The government’s new policy is a double-edged sword.
這項新政策是一把雙面刃。
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