Does your mindfulness benefit others? A systematic review and meta‐analysis of the link between mindfulness and prosocial behaviour
James N. Donald, B. Sahdra, Brooke van Zanden, Jasper J. Duineveld, Paul W. B. Atkins, S. Marshall, Joseph Ciarrochi
British Journal of Psychology August 9, 2018 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12338 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA meta-analysis of 31 studies (17,241 participants) found a positive link between mindfulness and prosocial behavior. For correlational studies the effect size was d = .73, and for intervention studies it was d = .51. Medium-sized effects held across different meditation types, intensities, gender, and age. The authors suggest that mindfulness is positively related to prosociality but call for further research on mediators and contexts.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Meta-analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 17,241 |
| Population | Participants in studies of mindfulness and prosocial behavior |
| Keywords | Medicine Psychology |
| Key finding | Mindfulness is positively related to prosocial behavior, with a pooled effect of d = .73 for correlational studies and d = .51 for intervention studies. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based meditation practices have received substantial scientific attention in recent years. Mindfulness has been shown to bring many psychological benefits to the individual, but much less is known about whether these benefits extend to others. This meta-analysis reviewed the link between mindfulness - as both a personality variable and an intervention - and prosocial behaviour. A literature search produced 31 eligible studies (N = 17,241) and 73 effect sizes. Meta-analyses were conducted using mixed-effects structural equation models to examine pooled effects and potential moderators of these effects. We found a positive pooled effect between mindfulness and prosocial behaviour for both correlational (d = .73 CI 95% [0.51 to 0.96]) and intervention studies (d = .51 CI 95% [0.37 to 0.66]). For the latter, medium-sized effects were obtained across varying meditation types and intensities, and across gender and age categories. Preliminary evidence is presented regarding potential mediators of these effects. Although we found that mindfulness is positively related to prosociality, further research is needed to examine the mediators of this link and the contexts in which it is most pronounced.