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Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI)3

Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) Test

Understand how you relate to others, including perspective taking and emotional response, in about 6 minutes. Pinpoint strengths and stress triggers to guide better communication, support, and self-awareness.

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Questions: 286 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

23,660 views

1,813 completions

1,388 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

10/28

Perspective Taking (PT)

Measures how readily a person can adopt another person's perspective in everyday situations.

Less perspective-taking

Moderate perspective-taking

Strong perspective-taking

0 – 12: Less perspective-taking | 13 – 20: Moderate perspective-taking | 21 – 28: Strong perspective-taking

A score of 10 suggests you may less often shift into another person's point of view and may rely more on your own perspective in day-to-day interactions.

example score

2/28

Fantasy (F)

Measures how readily a person imaginatively identifies with and experiences the feelings of fictional characters.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 9: Low | 10 – 18: Moderate | 19 – 28: High

A score of 2 falls in the Low range, suggesting you rarely immerse yourself in fictional characters’ experiences or feel their emotions through imagination.

example score

14/28

Empathic Concern (EC)

Assesses how strongly a person tends to feel warmth, compassion, and concern for others and to offer supportive help.

Lower empathic care

Moderate empathic care

Higher empathic care

0 – 9: Lower empathic care | 10 – 18: Moderate empathic care | 19 – 28: Higher empathic care

A score of 14 indicates a moderate tendency to feel compassion and concern for others, with supportive responses that may vary by situation.

example score

10/28

Personal Distress (PD)

Measures how much personal discomfort and unease someone feels when witnessing others' distress in emotionally charged situations.

Low distress

Moderate distress

High distress

0 – 9: Low distress | 10 – 18: Moderate distress | 19 – 28: High distress

A score of 10 falls in the Moderate distress range, suggesting a noticeable but generally manageable level of unease in response to others’ suffering.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Therapists and counselors

38%OF USERS

They use it to assess clients’ empathy patterns and tailor support around perspective-taking, concern, and emotional overwhelm.

Couples and relationship seekers

34%OF USERS

They take it to understand why conflicts happen, how each partner reacts to others’ feelings, and where misunderstandings come from.

Helpers at risk of burnout

28%OF USERS

People in caregiving or people-facing roles use it to see whether empathic concern is turning into personal distress and fatigue.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

In someone else's place (Isep)

Average

9.8

Normal range

4.6 — 15

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Daydreaming (D)

Average

13.7

Normal range

8.8 — 18.5

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Empathic Care (EC)

Average

15.7

Normal range

12.2 — 19.3

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Personal distress (Pd)

Average

12.1

Normal range

8.6 — 15.6

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Below are statements that describe, to varying degrees, your feelings, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations. Please indicate the extent to which you agree with each statement.

- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Not sure
- Agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Not sure
- Agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Not sure
- Agree
- Strongly agree

These are 3 of the 28 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) Test - Symptoms and Signs

empathy

This self-report measure is designed to assess dispositional empathy across multiple components. The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) captures both cognitive and affective reactions to others in everyday situations.

It consists of 28 items and typically takes about 6 minutes to complete. Respondents rate statements reflecting perspective taking, empathic concern, fantasy/imaginal involvement, and personal distress in response to others’ experiences.

Originally developed by M. H. Davis, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) is commonly used in clinical and research settings to characterize individual differences in empathic responding and to support case formulation or outcome monitoring when empathy-related processes are clinically relevant.

Author: M. H. Davis

Literature: Eisenberg, N., & Miller, P. A. The relation of empathy to prosocial and related behaviors. Psychological Bulletin. 1987.; Davis, M. H. Measuring individual differences in empathy: Evidence for a multidimensional approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1983.; Decety, J., & Jackson, P. L. The functional architecture of human empathy. Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Reviews. 2004.; Davis, M. H. A multidimensional approach to individual differences in empathy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1980.