Empathogenic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing substances or experiences that induce feelings of emotional empathy, connection with others, and heightened interpersonal understanding
2. Characterizing agents or effects that produce enhanced emotional openness, a sense of unity, and greater social bonding
3. Pertaining to phenomena that promote shared emotional experiences, increased compassion, and a warm, empathetic state toward others

Etymology: "Empathogenic" is a plain formation: "empathogen" with the adjective-forming suffix "-ic" attached. The noun it builds on is itself a coinage from "empathy" and the Greek element "-gen," meaning something that produces or gives rise to a thing, as in "antigen" or "photogen." Together the parts describe something that generates empathy, which is exactly the sense the adjective carries when it describes drugs or states that produce emotional openness and connection. Because the word is built from modern parts rather than inherited from an ancient language, its meaning comes straight from its construction. Readers who know "empathy" and "-gen" can read the whole word at a glance, which is typical of technical vocabulary coined in the twentieth century to name a new category of substance.

Synonyms: entactogenic, emotional