Mind full of kindness: self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence as vehicles for compassion.
Jacob T Miller, Paul Verhaeghen
BMC Psychology July 29, 2022 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-022-00888-4 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 407 |
| Population | Undergraduate students |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Awareness of privilege Compassion Moral foundations |
| Citations | 46 |
| Key findings | Reflective awareness, a facet of mindfulness, predicted multiple aspects of compassion beyond other mindfulness components and moral foundations. |
Abstract
We investigated the relationship between mindfulness and compassion in a broader way than is typically done by (a) using a recent, comprehensive conceptualization of mindfulness as a manifold of self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence, and (b) by casting a wide net of compassion measures [i.e., the Compassionate Love for Humanity Scale (Sprecher and Fehr in J Soc Pers Relatsh 22(5):629-651, 2005); Compassion Scale (Martins et al. in J Health Care Poor Underserved 24:1235-1246, 2013); Compassion Scale (Pommier in Assessment 27:21-39, 2020); Relational Compassion Scale (Hacker in The relational compassion scale: Development and validation of a new self-rated scale for the assessment of self-other compassion, University of Glasgow, 2008); and the SOCS-O scale (Gu et al. in Clin Psychol Rev 37:1-12, 2020)]. Additionally, we examined the interplay between mindfulness, compassion, and ethical sensitivities by assessing the influence of the moral foundations (individualizing and binding) on compassion, and the influence of mindfulness, the moral foundations, and compassion on awareness of privilege. We surveyed 407 undergraduate students. Factor analysis was used to examine the dimensionality of the compassion measures; path analysis to examine the relationships between all variables. Factor analysis revealed distinct affective (empathy, indifference), cognitive (common humanity, recognizing suffering), and motivational (willingness to act) aspects of compassion. Mindfulness, under its aspects of reflective awareness, self-compassion, and self-transcendence, was associated with compassion, with reflective awareness predicting multiple aspects of compassion over and beyond the normal mechanisms of the mindfulness manifold and the moral foundations. Individualizing was associated with all aspects of compassion; binding was only connected to recognizing suffering and a willingness to act. Awareness of privilege was positively connected to mindfulness through individualizing and the recognition of common humanity; it was also directly negatively related to the moral foundation of binding. Mindfulness and compassion have synergistic and distinct positive effects on ethical sensitivities. Given that both compassion and ethical sensitivities have roots in mindfulness, mindfulness interventions might be one possible venue to enhance these positive aspects of individuals' psychology.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Self-transcendence accompanies aesthetic chills. PLOS mental health 2024
- Effectiveness of Deconstructive Meditative Practices in Improving Mental Health and Well-being: A Systematic Review Mindfulness March 27, 2026
- Electroceutical enhancement of self-compassion training using transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation: results from a preregistered fully factorial randomized controlled trial Psychological Medicine 2025
- Effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Quality of Life and Mental Health Among Women With Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. SAGE Open Nursing 2026
- Using chills-inducing music to augment self-transcendence, emotional breakthrough, and psychological insight during mindfulness and loving kindness meditation. Frontiers in Psychology 2026
and 2 more in the library
Cites 7
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- Mindfulness increases prosocial responses toward ostracized strangers through empathic concern. Journal of Experimental Psychology General 2018
- A wandering mind is a less caring mind: Daily experience sampling during compassion meditation training The Journal of Positive Psychology March 24, 2015
- Does your mindfulness benefit others? A systematic review and meta‐analysis of the link between mindfulness and prosocial behaviour British Journal of Psychology August 9, 2018
and 2 more in the library