Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI)
Multidimensional empathy measure — 28 items, four subscales
How do you usually react when someone else is going through a hard time? The IRI measures four dimensions of empathy: how well you take others perspectives, how caught up you get in stories, how much you feel for people in distress, and how overwhelmed you get in emotional situations. 28 items, about 8 minutes. Not a clinical diagnosis.
How do you react when someone else is struggling?
Empathy isn't one thing. You might be great at understanding someone else's perspective but get overwhelmed when they're actually in pain. Or you might feel other people's emotions deeply but struggle to see their side of things.
The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) measures four distinct dimensions of empathy: how well you take others' perspectives, how much you get caught up in fictional stories, how much warmth and compassion you feel for others in distress, and how much personal distress you experience in tense situations.
Mark Davis developed the IRI in 1980, and it's become the standard multidimensional empathy measure. It distinguishes between cognitive empathy (perspective-taking, fantasy) and emotional empathy (empathic concern, personal distress). That distinction alone makes it more useful than simpler empathy measures — knowing you score high on emotional empathy but low on cognitive empathy tells a more specific story than just an empathy total.
Each dimension has 7 items rated on a 5-point scale. The fantasy subscale can be especially revealing — it taps how much you get immersed in books, movies, and others' experiences, which correlates with openness to experience.
Result Interpretation
Finish the 28 questions and you get your results straight away — no account, no sign-up, no waiting.
We calculate your total from your answers, then give you a plain-language explanation of what the numbers mean. Where a test has sub-scales, each dimension gets its own score. Whenever possible, we also show how your results compare to population norms.
详细报告 📊
Get an in-depth analysis with dimension breakdowns, population comparisons, and actionable recommendations.