The Influence of Meditation Practices on Prosocial Orientations and Person-Centered Supportive Communication
Lucas J. Youngvorst, Carly M. Danielson-Byrnes, Susanne M. Jones
Communication Reports April 13, 2025 DOI: 10.1080/08934215.2025.2487764 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 217 |
| Population | Adult participants assigned to meditation or no-meditation conditions |
| Intervention | Concentration meditation |
| Duration | One week |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Meditation practitioners scored higher on empathic concern than non-meditators, and loving kindness meditators provided supportive messages of higher quality than non-meditators. Compassion partially mediated associations between concentration meditation and both person-centered message processing and provision, suggesting meditation may cultivate prosocial orientations that facilitate supportive communication. |
Abstract
This study examines whether meditation practices can increase prosocial orientations (i.e. compassion, empathic concern), as well as the processing and provision of person-centered supportive messages. Participants (N = 217) were randomly assigned to either one of two week-long meditation practices (loving kindness or concentration) or to a no-meditation condition. Meditation practitioners scored higher on empathic concern than people in the no-meditation condition. Loving kindness meditators provided supportive messages that were of higher quality than non-meditators. Compassion also partially mediated associations between concentration meditation and both person-centered message processing and provision. These findings demonstrate that meditation can cultivate prosocial orientations and may, in turn, facilitate person-centered supportive communication.