The issue of bullying continues to be central in most education contexts due to how it challenges a positive learning environment and affects young people’s mental health when it is most vulnerable. One research team was curious if there was an intervention that might help reduce the frequency and intensity of bullying in a boarding school. They set up an experiment that tested whether those who perpetuate bullying could be changed by an empathy-enhancing intervention. The team first assessed the prevalence of bullying and found that 56% of students at the school experienced victimization, while 32% considered that their actions were bullying behaviors. The research team provided empathy training to a subgroup of students and collected information before and after the intervention. The study found that there was a significant reduction in bullying behavior for those students who completed the empathy training course. Encouraging results also show that their empathy levels significantly increased as a result of their participation in the intervention. Although this study occurred in the context of a single school, this study importantly highlights how empathy training could be a viable option to direct target bullying in schools in order to promote healthy learning environments and protect mental health for youth. Future research will have the opportunity to see if these results extend to different cultures and various age groups.
