The neural mediators of kindness-based meditation: a theoretical model

A coherent theoretical model is lacking for how kindness-based meditation alters the brain and body, despite its growing use to enhance prosocial emotions and social cognition. This paper links contemplative accounts of compassion and loving-kindness practices with social cognitive neuroscience and social psychology to generate predictions. Depending on the specific practice, kindness-based meditation may enhance neural systems for faster perceptual or motor simulation, simulation of another's affective body state, slower perspective-taking, emotion regulation, and self/other discrimination. The model is discussed alongside best practices for testing it and implications for future research.

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Abstract

Although kindness-based contemplative practices are increasingly employed by clinicians and cognitive researchers to enhance prosocial emotions, social cognitive skills, and well-being, and as a tool to understand the basic workings of the social mind, we lack a coherent theoretical model with which to test the mechanisms by which kindness-based meditation may alter the brain and body. Here we link contemplative accounts of compassion and loving-kindness practices with research from social cognitive neuroscience and social psychology to generate predictions about how diverse practices may alter brain structure and function and related aspects of social cognition. Contingent on the nuances of the practice, kindness-based meditation may enhance the neural systems related to faster and more basic perceptual or motor simulation processes, simulation of another’s affective body state, slower and higher-level perspective-taking, modulatory processes such as emotion regulation and self/other discrimination, and combinations thereof. This theoretical model will be discussed alongside best practices for testing such a model and potential implications and applications of future work.