Why Cruelty to Animals Is a Mental Health Issue | ft. Dr Shefali Batra

What makes some people fear animals… and others harm them?

In this powerful and brutally honest episode of Cyrus Says, Cyrus Broacha is joined by psychiatrist Dr Shefali Batra to explore the psychology of empathy, animal cruelty, fear, rage, and conditioning.

From stray dogs and animal feeders being attacked, to disturbing real-life cases of cruelty, this conversation dives deep into the human mind — asking uncomfortable but necessary questions:

• Is cruelty a lack of empathy?

• Are we conditioning children to fear animals?

• Can empathy be taught?

• And why do some people feel nothing at all?

Blending humour, outrage, science, and compassion, Cyrus and Dr Batra discuss mirror neurons, childhood conditioning, media bias, mental health, and what it truly means to coexist — with animals and with each other.

This episode is not just a conversation — it’s a call for empathy.

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