emotional responsiveness
An emotional responsiveness is the superficial reaction displayed by humans—a strangely complex creature—to others' feelings. Though they nod or shed a tear mid-conversation like an echo of the heart, nothing often changes underneath. Demanded in the name of social virtue, one is praised for abundant responsiveness and condemned for its lack. To maintain an ‘appropriate’ level, one must hide personal exhaustion beneath artful performance in tune with another’s sorrow. Ultimately, the irony lies in the gap between the speed and depth of one’s reactions, the truest paradox of human bonds.