A Comparison of the Effects of Ethics- Versus Wisdom-Based Mindfulness Practices on Prosocial Behaviour
Matthew Furnell, William van Gordon, James Elander
Mindfulness 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-024-02488-2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Preregistered Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 67 |
| Population | University students at a British university in China |
| Interventions | ethics- and wisdom-based practice (MBI-CEW) |
| Duration | 8-week intervention with weekly 2-hour face-to-face sessions |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Adding wisdom-based practices to an 8-week mindfulness intervention significantly increased prosocial behaviour compared with an ethics-only version and a control group, while dispositional mindfulness and ethical responsibility did not differ between intervention groups. The authors suggest that transcending an individualistic sense of self may play a more prominent role in enhancing prosocial tendencies than heightened awareness or moral reasoning. |
Abstract
Abstract Objectives The study aimed to examine the impact of incorporating Buddhist ethics-based practices versus Buddhist ethics- and wisdom-based practices in an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on prosocial behaviour.
Method: Changes in behaviour were evaluated through the subcategories of monetary donation, prosocial attitudes, and volunteering engagement. Participants at a British university in China (n=67) were randomly assigned to either an MBI including concentration- and ethics-based practice (MBI-CE) or an MBI including concentration-, ethics-, and wisdom-based practice (MBI-CEW), with a study-as-usual control group. Throughout the intervention, participants attended weekly 2-hr face-to-face sessions and maintained daily meditation journals.
Results: Results showed that MBI-CEW participants exhibited significant increases in prosocial behaviour compared to MBI-CE and controls. No significant difference was observed in dispositional mindfulness or ethical responsibility between intervention groups. However, the MBI-CEW group experienced greater changes in levels of sense of connectedness, as well as greater changes in levels of prosocial tendencies than the MBI-CE group.
Conclusions: The findings emphasize the influence of integrating wisdom-based practices into MBIs on prosocial behaviour and suggest that transcending an individualistic sense of self may play a more prominent role in enhancing prosocial tendencies than heightened awareness or moral reasoning. Preregistration This study was not preregistered
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
- The Mindful Scientist: How Meditation Could Support Ethical Scientific Practice Mindfulness September 2, 2025
- How Practice Differences Shape Participant Experience in Second-Generation Mindfulness-Based Interventions: A Qualitative Study of Non-Buddhist University Students Mindfulness October 9, 2026
- A contemplative ethical systems framework: integrating Buddhist ethics into organizational decision-making International Journal of Ethics and Systems June 15, 2026
- The Moderating Role of Personality on the Effects of Concentration-, Ethics- and Wisdom-Based Meditation Practices for Well-Being and Prosociality Healthcare November 25, 2025
- Second-generation mindfulness-based interventions (SG-MBIs) for university students: a scoping review medRxiv October 22, 2025
and 1 more in the library
Cites 24
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- On some definitions of mindfulness Contemporary Buddhism May 1, 2011
- The Watts Connectedness Scale: a new scale for measuring a sense of connectedness to self, others, and world Psychopharmacology August 8, 2022
- Mindfulness meditation reduces guilt and prosocial reparation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology December 23, 2021
and 19 more in the library