The Impact of Compassion Meditation Training on the Brain and Prosocial Behavior
Helen Y. Weng, Brianna S. Schuyler, Richard J. Davidson
Oxford Handbooks Online October 5, 2017 DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190464684.013.11 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Compassion meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Proposes that compassion meditation alters responses to suffering through three emotion-regulation processes—increasing empathic responses, decreasing avoidance, and increasing compassionate responses—which may lead to greater prosocial behavior. |
Abstract
Compassion meditation is a form of mental training that cultivates compassion towards oneself and other people, and is thought to result in greater prosocial behavior in real-world settings. This framework views compassion as a quality that can be trained, rather than a stable trait, and scientists have started testing these hypotheses using neuroscientific and objective behavioral methods. How does this internal meditative practice translate to external behavioral changes? We propose an emotion-regulation model of compassion meditation, where responses to suffering may change through three processes: (1) increasing empathic responses, (2) decreasing avoidance responses, and (3) increasing compassionate responses to suffering. These altered responses to suffering may lead to behavioral transfer, where prosocial behavior is more likely to occur, even in a non-meditative state. We summarize the neuroscientific and behavioral literature that may provide early support for this model, and make recommendations for future research to further test the model.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Mutually Beneficial Artificial Consciousness Artificial General Intelligence 2026
- Effects of Kindness- and Compassion-Based Meditation on Wellbeing, Prosociality, and Cognitive Functioning in Children and Adolescents: a Systematic Review Mindfulness September 1, 2022
- Shifting Baselines: Longitudinal Reductions in EEG Beta Band Power Characterize Resting Brain Activity with Intensive Meditation. Mindfulness 2022
- Effects of compassion training on brain responses to suffering others. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience September 30, 2021
- Investigating differential effects of socio-emotional and mindfulness-based online interventions on mental health, resilience and social capacities during the COVID-19 pandemic: The study protocol. PLoS One 2021
and 2 more in the library