Open MindJune 25, 2026Moritz-Maximilian Harbig, Heidi Mauersberger
preprint
This preregistered online experiment (n ≈ 200) investigates whether a brief Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM), compared to an active breath-focus control condition, increases affective empathy and reduces hostile attribution bias (HAB) toward persons depicted in ambiguous norm-violating social situations. Stimulus materials consist of 12 vignettes paired with standardized Anger-Sadness morph...
Abstract Emotional mimicry—the imitation of others’ emotions—fosters social bonding, but only when an affiliative emotion aligns with its context. We tested whether a brief Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM) could broaden affiliative responsiveness to both congruent and incongruent emotional displays. In an online study (N = 214), participants watched targets expressing joy or disgust in scenes...