Can Accent Be a Barrier in Feeling Empathy? The Research Result

The ability to identify with others and feel their emotions is a concept that has gained much attention in recent years. However, it remains a phenomenon that is not extensively studied, according to Mael Mauchand, a neuroscience doctoral student at McGill University. While scientists often analyze empathy in crisis situations where pain and misery are visible, Mauchand believes that empathy also involves small details that help establish connections with strangers. He states, “We still poorly understand its role in everyday interactions.”

The research

To explore this, Mauchand focused on a seemingly mundane scenario in Montreal — the conversations between newly arrived French immigrants and Quebecers. Previous research has highlighted the significance of voice tone and cultural differences in the levels of empathy expressed by a speaker. The young researcher aimed to investigate whether accents, reflective of a cultural context, also influence empathy. He explains, “French people who have just arrived in Montreal may be unfamiliar with the Quebecois accent, are less integrated, and have many biases. We wondered if this had an impact on their ability to feel empathy for Quebecers.”

The study involved recruiting 26 French participants who listened to hundreds of sentences read by French or Quebecois speakers, some in a neutral tone and others in a plaintive tone. As the subjects evaluated the intensity of emotions, their brain activity was measured using an electroencephalogram.

The research results: Is there a connection between accent and empathy?

The findings, published in the scientific journal Neuropsychologia, are reassuring. In this specific context, the accent does not seem to influence empathic reactions significantly. Mauchand notes, “We have several ways of apprehending vocal signals. Tone and content appear to be more critical than the accent in reducing the role of accent in empathic reactions.”

Cultural differences

However, cultural differences still play a role. Mauchand specifies, “We observed a marked difference in how the signal is processed by the listener.” When a French person listens to the complaints of a compatriot, there is a rapid response associated with brain activity—resembling affective empathy, an intuitive understanding of others’ experiences. In contrast, when the accent is Quebecois, this response is delayed, indicating cognitive empathy that requires analysis and contextualization of stimuli to understand them.

Conclusion

While this result needs further confirmation in other cultural contexts concerning France-Quebec relations, it suggests that if you encounter a lack of empathy while traveling, it may not be simply a matter of accent.