Boosting Empathy and Compassion Through Mindfulness-Based and Socioemotional Dyadic Practice: Randomized Controlled Trial With App-Delivered Trainings.
Sarita Silveira, Malvika Godara, Tania Singer
Journal of Medical Internet Research July 26, 2023 DOI: 10.2196/45027 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 218 |
| Population | Adults with a mean age of 44.12 years (SD 11.71); 160 of 218 (73.4%) female |
| Intervention | mindfulness-based training |
| Measures | Interpersonal Reactivity Index (empathic concern subscale), ecologically valid computer task of empathy and compassion, theory of mind measures, self-report compassion measures |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Affect dyad Acceptance App-delivered training Digital mental health Dyadic practice Empathy Mental training Mobile phone Self-compassion |
| Registration | NCT04889508 |
| Key findings | App-delivered socioemotional and mindfulness-based trainings both improved self-reported compassion for the self and others, and increased empathy, while theory of mind did not change. Behavioral and dispositional compassion markers trended upward only after dyadic practice and did not reach significance. The authors report that self-compassion gains were mediated by reduced empathic distress in the mindfulness group and predicted by increased acceptance in the socioemotional group. |
Abstract
Contemplative trainings have been found to effectively improve social skills such as empathy and compassion. However, there is a lack of research on the efficacy of app-delivered mindfulness-based and dyadic practices in boosting socioaffective capacity. The first aim of this study was to compare a novel app-delivered, partner-based socioemotional intervention (Affect Dyad) with mindfulness-based training to foster empathy and compassion for the self or others. The second aim of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms of these effects. This randomized controlled trial included socioemotional and mindfulness-based interventions and a waitlist control group, which received socioemotional training after the postintervention assessment. We used linear mixed-effects models to test intervention effects on self-report measures and an ecologically valid computer task of empathy, compassion for the self and others, and theory of mind. Moderated mediation models were used to investigate whether changes in acceptance, empathic distress, empathic listening, interoceptive awareness, and mindfulness served as underlying psychological processes of intervention effects. In 218 participants (mean age 44.12, SD 11.71 years; 160/218, 73.4% female), we found all interventions to have positive effects on composite scores for compassion toward the self (βsocioemotional=.44, P<.001; βwaitlist socioemotional=.30, P=.002; βmindfulness-based=.35, P<.001) and others (βsocioemotional=.24, P=.003; βwaitlist socioemotional=.35, P<.001; βmindfulness-based=.29, P<.001). Compassion measured with the computer task did not change significantly but showed a trend toward increase only in socioemotional dyadic practice (βsocioemotional=.08, P=.08; βwaitlist socioemotional=.11, P=.06). Similarly, on the empathic concern subscale of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, a nonsignificant trend toward increase was found in the socioemotional intervention group (βsocioemotional=.17; P=.08). Empathy significantly increased in both socioemotional groups (βsocioemotional=.16, P=.03; βwaitlist socioemotional=.35, P<.001) and the mindfulness-based group (βmindfulness-based=.15; P=.04). The measures of theory of mind did not change over time. In the mindfulness-based group, the increase in self-compassion was mediated by a decrease in empathic distress (indirect effect abmindfulness-based=0.07, 95% CI 0.02-0.14). In the socioemotional group, an increase in self-compassion could be predicted by an increase in acceptance (βsocioemotional=6.63, 95% CI 0.52-12.38). Using a multimethod approach, this study shows that app-delivered socioemotional and mindfulness-based trainings are effective in fostering compassion for the self and others in self-report. Both low-dose trainings could boost behavioral empathy markers; however, the effects on behavioral and dispositional markers of compassion only trended after dyadic practice, yet these effects did not reach statistical significance. Training-related increases in self-compassion rely on differential psychological processes, that is, on improved empathic distress regulation through mindfulness-based training and the activation of a human care- and acceptance-based system through socioemotional dyadic training. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04889508; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04889508.
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 9
- Training-related improvements in mental well-being through reduction in negative interpretation bias: A randomized trial of online socio-emotional dyadic and mindfulness interventions. Journal of Affective Disorders June 1, 2024
- A neuroscience perspective on the plasticity of the social and relational brain. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences May 1, 2025
- 10-Week Trajectories of Candidate Psychological Processes Differentially Predict Mental Health Gains from Online Dyadic versus Mindfulness Interventions: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of Clinical Medicine June 3, 2024
- From Confound to Clinical Tool: Mindfulness and the Observer Effect in Research and Therapy. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging April 1, 2025
- Synchronous Smiles and Hearts: Dyadic Meditations Enhance Closeness and Prosocial Behavior in Virtual and In-Person Settings. Mindfulness 2025
and 4 more in the library
Cites 20
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- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- From Self-Esteem to Selflessness: An Evidence (Gap) Map of Self-Related Processes as Mechanisms of Mindfulness-Based Interventions Frontiers in Psychology November 22, 2021
- Self-compassion and the Mitigation of Negative Affect in the Era of Social Distancing. Mindfulness 2021
and 15 more in the library