The effects of a compassion toward others meditation program for middle-aged adults: Focusing on empathy, compassion toward others, and helping behavior
Journal of Meditation based Psychological Counseling December 31, 2025 Hyunjin Kim
A Compassion Toward Others meditation program increased empathy, compassion, and helping behavior in middle-aged adults. After the program, the experimental group showed significant increases in empathic arousal, emotional empathy, compassion toward acquaintances and strangers, and overall compassion toward others compared to before participation. The post-test mean score for compassion toward acquaintances was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group, and helping behavior also significantly increased. The study empirically demonstrated the effectiveness of a Buddhist-based meditation intervention for enhancing these qualities in middle-aged adults.