Do you find yourself reacting easily to the moods of others around you?

If so, you may be an emotional empath.

Some highly sensitive people are also emotional empaths–they feel their own emotions and physical sensations more intensely than most, and also absorb those of the people around them.

If you’re wondering if you could be an emotional empath, here is a quiz to find out. It was created by Dr. Judith Orloff, an Intuitive Psychiatrist who is also an emotional empath. This quiz is from her book “Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life.”

Quiz: Am I an Empath?

Ask yourself:

* Have I been labeled as “too emotional” or overly sensitive?

* If a friend is distraught, do I start feeling it too?

*Are my feelings easily hurt?

* Am I emotionally drained by crowds and require time alone to revive?

*Do my nerves get frayed by noise, smells, or excessive talk?

* Do I prefer taking my own car places so that I can leave when I please?

* Do I overeat to cope with emotional stress?

* Am I afraid of becoming engulfed by intimate relationships?

Scoring: “If you answer yes to between one and three of these questions, you’re at least part empath. Responding yes to more than three indicates that you’ve found your emotional type.” ~Dr. Orloff (There are several emotional types Dr. Orloff discusses in her book–I’m only focusing on this one here as it relates to being a highly sensitive person).

How did you score?

I can relate to all of these to some degree except for the overeating. My sensitivity makes it more difficult to eat enjoyably when I’m feeling stressed.

Also, I’ve noticed that I’m more likely to absorb anxiety from people around me, because I’m more sensitive to that trigger (happiness and good feelings are contagious as well, of course!). But I haven’t noticed myself absorbing other unpleasant emotions or physical symptoms like many emotional empaths describe, including Dr. Orloff.

How did you score? Is emotional empathy something you’ve ever considered about yourself or noticed before?

Leave a comment and share your score!