Maybe empathy comes in when trying to frame criticism in a constructive way that the receiver will internalize and find helpful? In some cases, it might be bet

Maybe empathy comes in when trying to frame criticism in a constructive way that the receiver will internalize and find helpful? In some cases, it might be better to ask them about reasoning around a particular bit of code than to offer alternatives right away. In others, a good idea or anecdote about something you found useful in that spot, might be better received. In my experience, there is a good amount of empathy (or emotional awareness) involved in offering advice that will be accepted in a constructive spirit, and not seen as an attack. After all, we ALL write bad code sometimes. A bit of code might seem like a good idea at the time, but could just be overly "clever" upon later inspection. A good review comment that does not point fingers seems like it would fall under the "empathy" umbrella.