Painfully Cold: Effects of a Loving-Kindness Meditation on Cold Pressor Task Performance and Empathic Responses
October 26, 2020 Ryan A. Robertson, Evangeline A. Wheeler, Stephanie B Lietzau preprint
A brief loving-kindness meditation induction increased pleasure during a cold pressor task compared with a mindfulness relaxation induction, but neither type of meditation affected pain tolerance, pain threshold, or pain reactivity. Empathy levels did not change after either meditation and did not play a significant role in pain management.