Helping people, neglecting soil: contrasting effects of emotional empathy with humans on altruistic behaviour and soil conservation in a population of Chilean farmers

The empathy-altruism hypothesis posits empathy is a pre-requisite for altruistic behaviour. Similarly, proposed an empathy-sustainability hypothesis, suggesting empathy is a pre-requisite for sustainable interactions with nature. However, the existing literature tends to intermix the concepts of empathy with humans and empathy with nature. In this study, we aimed to assess the effects of emotional empathy with humans on altruistic behaviour and soil conservation behaviour, in a population of Chilean farmers (n = 234). Although the findings of the present study support the empathy-altruism hypothesis (r = 0.49), they do not support the empathy-sustainability hypothesis, since a negative correlation emerged between emotional empathy and soil conservation behaviour (r = −0.24). This correlation was pronounced in male farmers (r = −0.37) and not in female counterparts (r = −0.08). The present study suggests that fostering emotional empathy with humans may not be helpful in solving current soil degradation issues.