Do Empaths Feel Jealousy or Anger?

I’m going to jump straight into the quick answer for this post: Yes.

Empaths do feel jealousy, anger and all the emotions “regular” people feel. Empaths aren’t superhuman. They are regular people who feel more deeply than others, and they may also have other abilities.

But unfortunately, especially for us empaths, they aren’t immune to negative feelings.

Still, there may be some differences in the hows and whys of an empath feeling jealousy or anger.

Let’s explore…

What is an empath?

Before we go any further, I think it’s important to define what an empath is and what it isn’t. An empath is someone who can feel other people’s emotions. This is different than empathy where you can relate to someone’s emotions.

I’ll give an example from my own experience to hep drive the point home.

The other day, I was sitting on my balcony and a young girl (maybe 13?) ran by sobbing.

Most people would feel empathy and sympathy:

I know what that feels like and I feel sorry for her.

And here’s a taste of what it’s like as an empath:

Even though she’s been gone for five minutes, I can’t shake this sadness.

I had to consciously focus on something else to distract myself from those bad feelings. In that moment, her feelings were my feelings.

Empaths can have many other abilities (like the ability to feel physical pain or communicate with spirits), but all have the ability to feel other people’s emotions. In a nutshell, that’s what it’s like to be an empath.

Empaths and jealousy

As you’ve probably guessed, empaths can sense when someone is jealous. Whether it’s of them or someone else, an empath will likely pick up on that emotion. It’s probably not something they’ll talk about, but they’ll know.

But on the other side of the coin, empaths definitely aren’t immune to jealousy. Jealousy is an ego-driven emotion, and as such, it develops based on experiences.

Just like anyone else, an empath is more likely to be jealous in any relationship if they’ve ever been cheated on.

And here’s where things get complicated.

There’s a certain type of empath called an intuitive empath (read all about it here), and they’re likely to be able to pick up on people’s intentions.

So, let’s say you’re in a relationship with an empath and he or she senses someone else has romantic feelings for you. When this person talks to you, the empath might pick up on the connection and the other person’s intentions.

And if that empath has a lean towards jealousy, they are likely to become jealous of the relationship.

With that said, empaths aren't necessarily more likely to get jealous, but they are more likely to get triggered... if that makes sense.

Empaths and anger

The connection between an empath and anger is similar to that of jealousy. They pick up other people's anger and negative emotions, and they can feel it deeply.

And they also may be able to pick up on the deeper meanings behind things, which could trigger anger. One example would be when people have hidden and negative intentions.

But the real difference here is in the power of anger itself. If you're around someone who has a lot of jealousy, you might feel icky (that's the best word I could think of to describe it). But when you're around someone who is especially angry, your tensions may run high and you may feel unsafe.

This is true for empaths and others, but empaths are just more likely to pick upon the emotion of anger, even when someone is trying to hide it.

How to protect yourself as an empath

This is a deeper topic that we're going to cover in depth (stay tuned), but the basics of this are to remain attuned to your own emotions. You must be able to recognize when the emotion is coming from you and when it's coming from someone else.

Another thing you can do is to take some down time after any intense emotional experience. Self-care is a crucial part of survival as an empath.

Now, I want to hear from you. What's your experience with anger and jealousy?