Objective.

To compare the social cognition dimension of Theory of Mind (ToM) and empathy between athletes and non-athletes.

Method.

A cross-sectional design was executed with intentional sampling, in which 46 athletes (Mage = 18.2, SD = 4.5) and 48 non-athletes (Mage = 20.2, SD= 3.5) completed the Empathy for Pain Task and the Gaze Test.

Results.

No differences were found in the ToM, t(92) = 1.21, p = 0.228, d = 0.25. The mixed factorial Anova, 3x2 indicated that the empathy behavior is homogeneous between conditions (neutral, accidental, and intentional) and groups (athletes and non-athletes), F(2, 92)= 0.127, p = 0.881, ηp2 = 0.001. However, the post-hoc analysis of Bonferroni showed favorable stimulus differences in neutral stimuli (p < 0.05).

Conclusion.

There is no variability of the ToM, and conditions of accident and intentionality at the empathic level; while in neutral condition the average differs favorably for athletes.

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