This is a subject I often think about, maybe even on a daily basis without even realizing I do, but its something I find important when addressing people in the real world and how they conduct themselves, as well as how I conduct myself.
Maybe its just how I was raised, but I live by a code of empathy with others in my day to day life. Empathy, as in understanding, or at least trying to understand another persons emotional level, what there feeling right then more then what there thinking, and hoping, if I think its worth the time, trying to help them get a good balance in there emotional frame of mind.
I use to have a friend who I meet on wow, and who I became a close friend to, where we opened up and talked about each others day to day lives, things we loved, things we hated, but it was all on the table. The problem however was my friend was bi-polar, so his emotional state of mind shifted from one moment to the next on the fly, going from being a happy guy in raiding together and talking, to suddenly become angry or depressed at the drop of a hat, and for me who wanted to be empathetic with him about what he felt, it became exhausting to stand on firm ground with him, and even fearing at one point coming online for what mood he was in.
For me it matters in those I love and friends, and even people I might work with or be helping, simply because I try to put myself in there shoes. Of course, there are always times when the attitudes of others and what there feeling is conflicted with my feelings, but usually that all balances out in the end anyway, I try to just think its better to get past a poor frame of find like getting though a storm to a dry house.
Anyway, I guess the question is, based on empathy and what matters to you, how important is it to you, do you feel things like how important it is how others feel towards you, do you take the feelings of those around you into account when doing anything, and how far can you be pulled with this.
Of course, there are those out there who just don't give a shit about anyone elses emotions or feelings except there own. Walk into a bank or mcdonalds and your feel the emotion left at the door.