Does loving-kindness meditation elicit empathic emotions? The moderating role of self-discrepancy and self-esteem on guilt.
Isabel Carrero, Carlos Martínez de Ibarreta, Carmen Valor, Amparo Merino
Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being August 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1111/aphw.12416 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 88 |
| Population | Community and student samples |
| Intervention | Loving-kindness meditation |
| Duration | Brief intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Compassion Gratitude Guilt Loving-kindness meditation Self-discrepancy Self-esteem |
| Key findings | Loving-kindness meditation elicits both positive (compassion, gratitude) and negative (guilt) empathetic emotions more than an active control, with guilt more likely in individuals with greater self-discrepancy and lower self-esteem. |
Abstract
Our understanding of the emotions elicited by loving-kindness meditation (LKM) at early stages of practice is limited, despite the influence that these emotions may have on later engagement. Past work suggests that LKM may elicit emotional ambivalence at early stages of the practice, but it is still unclear whether the content of LKM activates this ambivalence and who is more likely to experience it. Given the specific content of LKM, we defend that this meditation is likely to elicit empathetic emotions, both positive (compassion and gratitude) and negative (guilt), to a greater extent than an active control. Guilt is likely to be elicited by memories of incidents where naïve meditators were not able to experience compassion and/or by the difficulties in sending compassionate love to disliked others during the meditation. Furthermore, individuals with greater self-discrepancy and lower self-esteem are more likely to experience guilt. These hypotheses were tested in two experimental studies with community and student samples (n = 55 and n = 33, respectively) and using a brief intervention. The results support the hypotheses. These findings have implications for instructors of LKM, especially when organizing meditation practices with naïve meditators who should be aware of the potential negative emotions elicited by this meditation.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 19
- Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology October 27, 2008
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- Conceptual and methodological issues in research on mindfulness and meditation. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists PLoS One May 24, 2017
- Effect of kindness-based meditation on health and well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology June 30, 2014
and 14 more in the library