Empathy

This was a post I made on a different site with a writer's group.  I've decided to post it on here because it's easier to access. 

I consider myself to be empathic. Seeing someone else cry can make me cry. That is why I can't watch mourners at a funeral. I can easily put myself in another person's position and I feel that I'm more considerate of a person's feelings because of this. I think my empathy aids me in writing because it helps me imagine how my characters are feeling and how they would react. This really comes in handy with writing in third person.

I'm curious about the rest of you. Do sad stories make you cry? Do love stories give you the euphoria one feels with new love? Does someone else's joy bring you joy? Have you ever felt fear that wasn't your own? Do people consider you someone easy to talk to? Have you ever disliked someone for a reason that you couldn't explain? I'm just curious if it's just me or if the rest of you writers are sensitive to emotions, too.

Veronica