Empathy is thus not selfless since altruism works either as a way to avoid those negative, unpleasant feelings and have positive, pleasant feelings when triggered by others' need for help or as a way to gain social reward or avoid social punishment by helping.
ˈɛmpəθi ɪz ðˈʌs nˌɑːt sˈɛlfləs sˈɪns ˈɔːltɹuːˌɪzəm wˈɜːks ˈiːðɚɹ æz ɐ wˈeɪ tʊ ɐvˈɔɪd ðoʊz nˈɛɡətˌɪv, ʌnplˈɛzənt fˈiːlɪŋz ænd hæv pˈɑːzᵻtˌɪv, plˈɛzənt fˈiːlɪŋz wɛn tɹˈɪɡɚd baɪ ˈʌðɚz nˈiːd fɔːɹ hˈɛlp ɔːɹ æz ɐ wˈeɪ tə ɡˈeɪn sˈoʊʃəl ɹᵻwˈɔːɹd ɔːɹ ɐvˈɔɪd sˈoʊʃəl pˈʌnɪʃmənt baɪ hˈɛlpɪŋ.