The effects of a compassion toward others meditation program for middle-aged adults: Focusing on empathy, compassion toward others, and helping behavior

A Compassion Toward Others meditation program increased empathy, compassion, and helping behavior in middle-aged adults. After the program, the experimental group showed significant increases in empathic arousal, emotional empathy, compassion toward acquaintances and strangers, and overall compassion toward others compared to before participation. The post-test mean score for compassion toward acquaintances was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group, and helping behavior also significantly increased. The study empirically demonstrated the effectiveness of a Buddhist-based meditation intervention for enhancing these qualities in middle-aged adults.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a Compassion Toward Others meditation program for middle-aged adults. The research aimed to investigate whether the program influenced empathy, compassion toward others, and helping behavior among participants. To address these questions, a Compassion Toward Others meditation program was conducted for middle-aged participants, and pre- and post-tests were administered using the Empathy Scale, Compassion Toward Others Scale, and Helping Behavior Scale. The data were analyzed using frequency analysis, independent sample t-tests, and paired sample t-tests. The results showed that, after participating in the program, the experimental group demonstrated a significant increase in empathic arousal and emotional empathy compared to before participation. In addition, the experimental group showed a significant increase in compassion toward acquaintances, compassion toward strangers, and overall compassion toward others. The post-test mean score for compassion toward acquaintances was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group. Furthermore, the mean score for helping behavior significantly increased in the experimental group after participation compared to before. This study is meaningful in that it empirically demonstrated the effectiveness of a Buddhist-based meditation intervention in enhancing empathy, compassion toward others, and helping behavior among middle-aged adults.