Compassionate Dictators? The Effects of Loving-Kindness Meditation on Offers in a Dictator Game
Jochen Reb, Su Junjie, Jayanth Narayanan
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Population | Participants in a dictator game (not further specified) |
| Interventions | Loving-kindness meditation Neutral visualization exercise |
| Dose | 8 min |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Participants who engaged in an 8-minute loving-kindness meditation gave more of a SGD10 resource to their counterpart than those who did a neutral visualization, and this effect was fully mediated by positive feelings toward the other party. |
Abstract
How to encourage people in positions of absolute power to show compassion to others is a topic of high practical and theoretical significance. Building on recent research that examines the influence of loving-kindness meditation (LKM) in fostering positive emotions and positive relations with others, we examined whether engaging in LKM would increase allocations to counterparts in a dictator game. In this game, allocators, or dictators, can unilaterally allocate any part of a given resource to the receiver, without any fear of reprisal. We found that participants who engaged in a short (8 min) LKM meditation before the dictator game gave more of the resource (SGD10) to the other party than participants who engaged in a neutral visualization exercise. Further, we found that this experimental effect was fully mediated through positive feelings towards the other party.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Loving-kindness meditation: a field study Contemporary Buddhism November 1, 2013
- Calming Meditation Increases Altruism, Decreases Parochialism bioRxiv Preprint Server April 10, 2017
- Synchronous Smiles and Hearts: Dyadic Meditations Enhance Closeness and Prosocial Behavior in Virtual and In-Person Settings. Mindfulness 2025
- Mindfulness Meditation Activates Altruism Scientific Reports April 16, 2020
- Does your mindfulness benefit others? A systematic review and meta‐analysis of the link between mindfulness and prosocial behaviour British Journal of Psychology August 9, 2018
and 1 more in the library