Empathy is usually helpful when...

Its helpful When it help us to understand how others are feeling so we can respond appropriately to the situation.

Empathy is vital because it lets one understand how others are feeling so we can react adequately to the situation. It's normally related to social actions, and there's a lot of evidence that getting more empathy contributes to more helping behavior.

It is usually helpful to show empathy to a friend when they are feeling down.

Hope this helps; have a great day!